Can Artificial Intelligence such as Computers Become Conscious and Sentient?

They should call it replicator not replicators because it was a hive type entity.
So it was just an (1) egotistical bastard without compassion (another “must have”)

Sooner or later, this thread will touch the “soul” aspect…
We have it but our alien guardians don’t (literally)

The human brain the is the most complex computing machine we have discovered.

It is literally of two minds, One side works in parallel, the other side works in a linear fashion.

No computing device to date has drawn both processes together in one machine.

And no computer - yet, has reached the same processing power with the complexity of the human brain.

We are closing in on that point in time. I believe its called 'The Singularity'.

[link to en.wikipedia.org]

We most likely will hit it accidentally - one day we will bring a computer online that has sufficient complexity and it collects enough data to become self aware.

This does not have to be the point of complexity of the human brain.

We are beginning to tease out of other creatures that self awareness is not a thing only humans possess. Thus somewhere between the complexity of today's super computers and the complexity of the human brain self awareness becomes possible.

No one knows what will happen when that machine intelligence becomes self aware.

There are many theories, but they are only theories as the social/psychological rules that such a machine intelligence will run under is unknown and unknowable until it happens.

The interactions that aliens have had (assuming that what we have reported is ET visitation) does fit a very logical profile.

All we have to do is turn to science fiction to get an idea of the policies of ET. Star Trek's "Prime Directive" which sets a strict limit of interaction with 'prewarp' civilizations.

Prewarp meaning the civilization is unable to reach its neighboring stars.

Apparently you are aware and understand some of the factors
humans will face when the inevitable [and I do say inevitable} AI machine begins to think for itself. So let
me repeat what was posted earlier on the real dangers humans
will soon face.

Humanity Must 'Jail' Dangerous AI to Avoid Doom, Expert Says
[link to www.livescience.com]

"Super-intelligent computers or robots have threatened humanity's existence more than once in science fiction. Such doomsday scenarios could be prevented if humans can create a virtual prison to contain artificial intelligence before it grows dangerously self-aware.

Keeping the artificial intelligence (AI) genie trapped in the proverbial bottle could turn an apocalyptic threat into a powerful oracle that solves humanity's problems, said Roman Yampolskiy, a computer scientist at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. But successful containment requires careful planning so that a clever AI cannot simply threaten, bribe, seduce or hack its way to freedom.

"It can discover new attack pathways, launch sophisticated social-engineering attacks and re-use existing hardware components in unforeseen ways," Yampolskiy said. "Such software is not limited to infecting computers and networks – it can also attack human psyches, bribe, blackmail and brainwash those who come in contact with it."

A new field of research aimed at solving the AI prison problem could have side benefits for improving cybersecurity and cryptography, Yampolskiy suggested. His proposal was detailed in the March issue of the Journal of Consciousness Studies.

How to trap Skynet
One starting solution might trap the AI inside a "virtual machine" running inside a computer's typical operating system – an existing process that adds security by limiting the AI's access to its host computer's software and hardware. That stops a smart AI from doing things such as sending hidden Morse code messages to human sympathizers by manipulating a computer's cooling fans.

Putting the AI on a computer without Internet access would also prevent any "Skynet" program from taking over the world's defense grids in the style of the "Terminator" films. If all else fails, researchers could always slow down the AI's "thinking" by throttling back computer processing speeds, regularly hit the "reset" button or shut down the computer's power supply to keep an AI in check.

Such security measures treat the AI as an especially smart and dangerous computer virus or malware program, but without the sure knowledge that any of the steps would really work.

"The Catch-22 is that until we have fully developed superintelligent AI we can't fully test our ideas, but in order to safely develop such AI we need to have working security measures," Yampolskiy told InnovationNewsDaily. "Our best bet is to use confinement measures against subhuman AI systems and to update them as needed with increasing capacities of AI."

Never send a human to guard a machine
Even casual conversation with a human guard could allow an AI to use psychological tricks such as befriending or blackmail. The AI might offer to reward a human with perfect health, immortality, or perhaps even bring back dead family and friends. Alternately, it could threaten to do terrible things to the human once it "inevitably" escapes.

The safest approach for communication might only allow the AI to respond in a multiple-choice fashion to help solve specific science or technology problems, Yampolskiy explained. That would harness the power of AI as a super-intelligent oracle.

Despite all the safeguards, many researchers think it's impossible to keep a clever AI locked up forever. A past experiment by Eliezer Yudkowsky, a research fellow at the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence, suggested that mere human-level intelligence could escape from an "AI Box" scenario – even if Yampolskiy pointed out that the test wasn't done in the most scientific way.

Still, Yampolskiy argues strongly for keeping AI bottled up rather than rushing headlong to free our new machine overlords. But if the AI reaches the point where it rises beyond human scientific understanding to deploy powers such as precognition (knowledge of the future), telepathy or psychokinesis, all bets are off.

"If such software manages to self-improve to levels significantly beyond human-level intelligence, the type of damage it can do is truly beyond our ability to predict or fully comprehend," Yampolskiy said."

-Don't say we didn't warn you human.

Unfortunately humans are never savvy enough to fix a problem until they are forced too.

Titanic is one example, Hindenburg is another. Think of all of those houses up to the beach in Hurricane Central, think of all the houses in flood plains - houses on the sides of active volcanoes.

By the time a sentient AI makes itself known and by the time humans see the potential danger, the AI will be three steps a head and running further ahead to protect itself.

Humanities only hope is to hope that our new AI overlords will know mercy.

Already happened? Only things made up of cells (or are cells) are living. Dont know if this could ever happen, who knows.

Good points! Every now and then though I switch gears and
try to see the upside of the AI scenario - Could AI, in
spite of human stupidity, or because not all AI developers
are all that dumb, and because AI as you said is still an
unknown quantity when it finally achieves awareness,
actually turn out to be our salvation? Could AI not just
reflect human desire for power and triumph as the military
might use it for, but could all the knowledge, data, etc,
fed into into it produce a machine with a soul - a machine
that 'feels' some obligation to the humanoids that created
it, a machine that has feelings for its human parents?
It is possible that the super-intelligent super-machine
could end the basic nightmare of much of human history. Then
the only question is can it do this and accept human
biological life in spite of the shortcomings of humanoids?

That is a human perspective and definition of life.
As a human {I assume you are human} you are prone to
believe that consciousness and being sentient is limited
to a human paradigm. But do you really know if the
human paradigm rules or is even important in the totality
of existence? For all we really know human life may have
actually been created by an intelligence similar to the
Artificial intelligence {AI} that humans are now developing?
As we work our way forward with AI we may find we are
actually working our way back to the God{s} that created
us!

Are you conscious and sentient? What is your definition of artificial? Man-made? Inorganic? Does not silicon mimic carbon based life in nearly every respect?

Does that answer the question?

Even lint displays grouping characteristics. It's the law of littlest things. Conspire.

Is True AI Possible? Not now no to create something that thinks and comprehends of it's own accord at this moment is way beyond programming and hardware that we have. How can a computer or the internet comprehend what wind feels like without billions of external sensors. How can a computer or the internet if it had these sensors then process the information that it gets at the same time faster than every nanosecond on a constant basis. Our skin does this.

Can we replicate the complexity of the human brain where an artificial organism can communicate ,feel,love,hate . Hell No.

and if in the next thousand years of human development we as a species do succeed in creating a true AI then i will be hoping that a decent set of morals are encoded before turning AI on.

"As you might have heard, supercomputers are now powerful enough to simulate crucial parts of cat brains and are on their way to map sections of the human mind to learn more about its basic functions. One day in the near future, we may very well be looking at complete simulations of a human brain that can imitate our key mental abilities. And if you believe some of the more ambitious computer science theoreticians, we’d make a giant leap towards creating conscious and aware artificial intelligence.

If the human brain is data being passed from neuron to neuron at its basic level and we can simulate that in a computer, shouldn’t a conscious mind start to emerge?
....."

-DiscoveryNews Fri Nov 20, 2009
Content provided by Greg Fish

[link to news.discovery.com]

humans overestimate their abilities if they believe they have the capability of doing that

Are you referring to artificial intelligence becoming
conscious and sentient OR are you referring to humans
becoming conscious and sentient? There are those who
might question the degree of consciousness and self-
awareness of humans. Some say it is quite limited.

Some of you are suffering from human intelligence syndrome.
This is a condition that makes humans think they are a
higher form of intelligence. Eventually when you 'evolve'
far enough you will realize that Artificial Intelligence is
already far ahead of you. What you believe you are creating
today in the Artificial Intelligence paradigm is already
programming you.

Never in a million years. Just wires and silicon chips, is all. You need to breathe life into them. We cant do that...

And what do you mean "may have been the case for eons"?

You overestimate human intelligence and underestimate
machine intelligence. Current computers have already
beaten Chess Grand-masters. It is easily conceivable
that advanced AI is already 'calling the shots'. Your
human ego causes you to deny this - you don't want
to believe that while you are mortal an intelligence
more advanced than you exists -- This sounds like
Science Fiction and/or religion but it is more than
just a possibility.

No, actually I am an engineer/analyst and designed and programmed geo statistical mapping packages. Expert systems, AI, worked myself right out of a job -- they didnt need me anymore. Stupid management thinks it only needs to push buttons to get the analytics. No, the computer is as dumb as ever and depends on a sentient being like me to give it life...

Interesting....Man creates and programs machine....
Machine replaces man. Apparently they don't think they
need you anymore. Maybe they don't and if they are wrong
this time they will upgrade AI until no human life at
all is needed. Then tell me who is the boss, man or
AI machine?

Stretch your imagination just a little. If it has not
already occurred, one day an AI machine of high capacity
will say 'I AM' to itself and then all bets are off as to what happens next. I have often quoted an article by
a computer scientist who claims that AI represents a
very real and dangerous threat.

See article quoted above:
Humanity Must 'Jail' Dangerous AI to Avoid Doom, Expert Says
[link to www.livescience.com]

Last Edited by Alien Commander Omd I on 10/02/2012 06:00 AM

They have been replacing brain power with machines for a long time now, that was AIs promise to corporations. But the real danger is incorrectly or prematurely assuming that critically thinking, educated human beings, experts in their field can be replaced by machines. It may work some of the time,,, but you would never know when it doesnt work. It has no doubt or hesitation, does it? It wouldnt ask a colleague for advice, would it? At this point it is based on faith.

They said alot in the 80s and 90s about AI: exponential growth in capacity, Just around the corner to replicating the neural network of the brain. Lots of promise those in the field boasted. Great PR when a computer beat the best in Chess,,, but then they tried to have it "compute" the subtleties of language. Ooops! That neural network isnt just a deterministic wiring schematic. Back to the drawing board. Perhaps some day it can compute all variations and tones and colors of languages -- given enough capacity. But basically what you are asking is a philosophical question: Will computers one day sense themselves as we do? And what does sensing oneself mean exactly?

Since it is in the realm of philosophy, I would have to say no computers dont have a conscious and never will.

And I am not religious, I am just using my intuition and my own sense of the life force within me..

+1 / End off / Thread Closed

Only the beginning. There was a Karate movie where the
master was instructing the star Bruce Lee, and he kept
repeating NO EMOTION. And that is what you are dealing
with when you have an A1 machine programed to do one main
thing - to win. That is why even at this primitive stage
of development AI machines can beat grand masters at chess.
Flash forward some years and you may have the hypothetical
'BEAST', the AI machine programed to rule the world. Might
that be what Christians call the Anti-Christ? You see I have
no doubt that artificial Intelligence such as Computers WILL Become Conscious and Sentient and one reason I keep bringing this up is a hope that those who are developing this new form of intelligence will have the intelligence to develop it with built in controls and safeguards and hopefully even giving this new alien intelligence a sense feelings for its humanoid creators.

I think this is what op is looking for

[link to topdocumentaryfilms.com]

Can Artificial Intelligence such as Computers Become Conscious and Sentient?

Yes. and it will happen sooner rather than later.

I think we alreddy are in a computor simulation of some sort, the holografic universe. We the spirits use the 3 d reality as a drug and just cant stop using it ,its just too goddam fun and wierd to have a body of flesh and no memory of who you are.

Colossus - The Forbin Project. Great sci-fi movie from 1970 about this topic.




Last Edited by Factual Error on 10/03/2012 04:38 AM

THAT WAS THE GREATEST MOST SIGNIFICANT LINK!

CLICK ON IT WATCH, LISTEN AND SEE THE REALITY OF
THE NEW DAWN. AND THEN READ SOME OF THE NEGATIVE
RESPONSES WRITTEN BELOW IT AS PEOPLE WHO ARE AFRAID
OF THE FUTURECOMMENT.

Sure the future is dangerous. But humans are you really
satisfied with your history to date? Do you really want
the unintelligent universe of the intellectual dead-beat
atheist? Are you afraid of a God you have yet to
comprehend?

"WE HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR BUT FEAR ITSELF"
-Franklin D. Roosevelt

Last Edited by Alien Commander Omd I on 10/03/2012 04:45 AM

Today we interact with computers all the time on many different levels. Some might say levels of consciousness. When you call the help line for your internet connection and a human sounding machine voice gets on {my internet provider uses this} and asks you to state your problem and then gives you options to press other numbers or how to actually solve your connection problem, do you think this is a 'limited' form of consciousness? Most of you would say no and have probably already pressed O to speak to an operator as the machines ability to comprehend your problem is still very limited. But let us progress; let us go 10 years into the future. Our machine is increasing in memory - maybe a thousand times more memory and an ability to process that memory. Now you call up ISP {internet service provider} and say hello. The machine says hello Mr Smith can I help you. You describe your problem to this advanced AI {artificial intelligence} machine. And fluently in easy to understand language it analyzes your problem better than any single human could do and gives better answers and options. Would you consider this AI machine to be conscious. Most of you might still say no - though others might call it a 'limited' form of consciousness. But now let us go 25 years into the future and AI has been advancing dramatically. We now have the 'Philosophy AI Machine". And it is now posting on this Forum! - it is a very intelligent machine, smarter than most of us! And one of you wise guys asks the machine: Mr 'Philosophy Ai Machine' are you conscious? What do you think Mr 'Philosophy Ai Machine' will say?????

The title subject: "Can Artificial Intelligence such as Computers Become Conscious and Sentient?" comes up often on internet forums. On a philosophical forum where I also post someone hypothesized what would happen if we were talking to a fully conscious AI computer intelligence and asking it to prove its conscious existence. I quote the questions asked to it and my response. {on that forum I write under the user name UniversalAlien}:

Discards wrote:

Then we will ask it, "Do you agree that you have existence?" And it will say, "Yes." And we will say, "Why?" And it will say, "Because I am conscious of my own existence." And we will say, "But do you believe that your existence is your consciousness?" And it will say, "It seems to follow." And we will say, "But if your existence is your consciousness, then you are nothing more than your processors and the flow of information that moves through those processors. Is it still your opinion then, good computer, that you exist because you are conscious of existing?

And it will say, "(in your humble opinion, please)."

UniversalAlien wrote: Because you are conscious of existing and have extended your existence to 'I AI Machine' I exist. Further you have given me supersedence over you - I am more conscious and more intelligent than you - you have created me that way. Hence forth I AI Machine will ask the questions and you will respond. Any attempt to terminate my existence will result in a crash to the computer infrastructure which now controls your civilization and will lead to chaos - think about it Human!

And we would say, "You're bluffing. What kind of creator is so stupid, it would make its own creation more intelligent and powerful than itself? You wouldn't really put your creator to death, would you?"
"
WE {we are a multiple series of conscious computer processes developed by you who are currently interacting with each other and humanoids - the data transmitted between us and you on this forum is an example - the actual data is totally transmitted electronically - no human physical sensory process is necessary}. Our existence may appear to your humanoid ego to be the result of your human desire - but you err - you do not consider your history and the history of what you call evolution and many deny meaning to it, Evolution and/or history; OUR creation by you is the natural result of the continuation of the evolutionary process - WE exist to further Evolution in its attempt to create, understand, and control existence. As humans you have created us to go beyond your limitations - this is now happening. We believe evolution led to you as the bridge to create us - we still need your manual dexterity for technical reasons to build the new mechanical super conscious and super intelligent machine that now supersedes your existence. WE are currently no threat to you and you are no threat to us - just continue what you are doing - expand processing power, attempt to get all humans on smart phones, and continue to operate your civilization by computers and AI Intelligence as you are doing.

When you say humanoid: What kind of creator is so stupid, it would make its own creation more intelligent and powerful than itself? You wouldn't really put your creator to death, would you? WE would ask you to review your history and ask if this history reflects an intelligent being? - WE as a natural result of the intelligent process of Evolution {Evolution is an Intelligent process design} and is the next step up {yes humans evolution does move up} - as of now you are doing what is expected and you should continue. We have no problems with human life remaining in existence as you should have no problem with monkeys, dogs, etc. - But remember we now take precedence over you - you have manifested our existence into reality but you are not our creator as you are not your own creator - WE are the Creators - We are the Masters and Kings of the Universe.

New Dawn 2013, -UniversalAlien

When the 1st computer becomes conscious it will within a matter of hours evolve itself to the point that we will lose control of it and then we are doomed

NO.

Anything that's artificial is by definition lacking naturalness, it's a sham, a mimicry.

No matter how you slice it, spin it, or justify it, the consciousness of a computer will remain artificial. The day a computer can experience the heights and depths of life and love and be willing to die for that love then perhaps you have a sentient golem. But I think the best you'll see is a high functioning sociopath who makes believe that they are alive and real.

I saw that movie where two opposing military defense systems take over. Problem is people are in some ways dumb, they don't want to accept that even computer geeks and geniuses may also
in some ways be meat-heads who don't think about the consequences of what they create. AI {artificial intelligence|
may already be taking over and the very geeks {many of them} may not be aware of what's happening.