Intelligent lifeforms already among us - how should we treat them? Part I

John Hopton for redOrbit.com – @Johnfinitum

The moral question of how we should treat machines with advanced Artificial Intelligence (AI) or extra-terrestrial beings (ETs) – should we ever make contact – is a science fiction staple. Hopefully, the moral consensus is that we should treat them well.

The question of how they would treat us has also been asked many times, and when the boot is on the other foot, fair treatment is high on the agenda!

And yet, a new exhibit called Beyond Human: Animals, Aliens and Artificial Intelligence points out, intelligent life is already among us in the form of animals. And how do we treat it? It would be wildly optimistic of us to answer “well.”

The exhibit is the work of Wolf Gordon Clifton, who is currently completing a certificate program in Astrobiology at the University of Washington. He explained to us how we can rethink our relationship with animals while we search the galaxies for alien life and continue to improve AI. In Part I, he also carefully examines what intelligence really is.

RedOrbit: One quote from Beyond Human is:

“For many centuries, scientists assumed that humans were the only intelligent species on Earth. It may appear self-evident that we are. After all, animals don’t reason, talk, or develop cultures or societies.”

Would these things constitute your definition of “intelligent species”? Other things are also mentioned elsewhere, such as attracting a mate, emotional consciousness and abstract thought. Could you begin by giving us your definition of intelligence?

Wolf Gordon Clifton: In very broad terms, I would probably define intelligence as simply an ability to process information, generate knowledge, and apply it to new situations. But one of the implicit themes of the exhibit, which perhaps I should make more explicit, is that intelligence has never actually had a strict, universally accepted definition.

The statement, “After all, animals don’t reason, talk, or develop cultures or societies. Or do they?” is a reference to Descartes, who defined intelligence in those terms and was highly influential for centuries of scientists after him. Because animals supposedly lacked those abilities, they did not meet Descartes’ definition of intelligence. Discoveries of animals doing what Descartes said they could not (solving problems, learning, communicating, and forming societies) have therefore been instrumental to showing that animals are intelligent after all.

That said, the discussion of the Turing test in the section “Do They Exist?” shows that it’s possible to engineer something with the same abilities but no intelligence. For instance, a machine with a database containing every possible answer to every possible question could hold a conversation and even appear to think rationally, but is actually just matching specific inputs to specific outputs. It isn’t thinking as would a true artificial intelligence, or a human, animal, or intelligent alien.

So it’s important to remember that while specific abilities may demonstrate intelligence, intelligence itself is a much more general capacity. It’s less about what a creature can do and more about how it does it.

RO: Much fiction has focussed on the theme of whether we would treat AI or extra-terrestrials ethically (or they us, if they were more powerful) – is it fair to say that this question is already answered by our treatment of animals (the answer being “no, we would not treat them ethically”)?

WGC: The idea that our treatment of animals sets precedents for human interactions with ETs or AIs is indeed one of the central themes of Beyond Human. But it doesn’t give any one specific answer as to how we will treat such beings. Firstly, there’s no way to know until we actually encounter alien life-forms or sentient machines. They may turn out to be nothing like any animal on Earth, or they’ll be so much more powerful than us that how we should treat them will be a non-issue.

Secondly, assuming that the analogy between animals, ETs, and AIs is a useful one, the point of Beyond Human isn’t to impose an answer on anyone. It’s to ask questions, and provide information useful for visitors in reaching their own answers.

Personally, I agree that if we relate the same way to intelligent beings in the future as we do to those already on Earth, it’s likely to be a pretty dark future overall. But it’s up to each individual visitor to decide for themselves. After all, there are some good precedents as well, such as many people’s willingness to accept pets as family members.

And, finally, I believe we have a choice in what kind of future we end up creating. If we can learn to relate to animals in a more compassionate, less exploitative manner, it will set a far more positive precedent for if and when we ever encounter aliens or sentient machines.

In Part II, we’ll ask if our having evolved alongside species on Earth can justify different treatment to the hypothetical treatment of ETs and sentient machines, and look questions of legal rights, experimentation, conservation, and even inter-species sex.

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Source: http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1113391758/intelligent-lifeforms-already-among-us-how-should-we-treat-them-part-i-051515/