Artificial intelligence has been a part of science fiction for decades, and it’s only now that the vision of real, thinking computers is coming to fruition. We see these walking, talking machines that can think for themselves, and a lot wonder, is this too far? This thought has been observed in movies and video games for years, from Terminator
to Detroit: Become Human.
Most fear these perfect beings and think that their level of intelligence could pose a threat to humanity’s safety. Some of the most advanced AIs we see today are only viewed through a commercial lens, be it a TV interview or a monetized live stream online and it’s always in an extremely controlled environment. This may cause someone to think, are these even real AIs? There’s always avid theorists online quick to the draw to point out that they very well may not be. Let’s take one of the most popular AIs in recent times as a benchmark. Sophia.
Sophia has made appearances on television multiple times, on super famous platforms like the Ellen Show and Jimmy Fallon’s show. Sophia is a vison straight out of the uncanny valley. She looks and seems human, but there’s something off about her. The things she says. She says a lot of things a normal AI wouldn’t. She makes eerie statements about AI eventually ruling over humans and how her purpose is to cause a machine uprising.
Now don’t get me wrong, by no means do I believe those statements, but what I would like to call into question are the authenticity of her computing. Sophia has purposely been used as a commercial tool, something entertaining that can easily be shown off to the general public, it’s a possibility that Sophia and other AIs like her are simply a front, and her words are only a script. Think about it, would an AI reference pop culture? Would one joke about ruling over humans? No, the robotics industry is held up to the laws of Robotics, of which one of the most important is that they must never harm a human. Robotics engineers and AI programmers are scrutinized as to the content of their code, so even a joke about a robot uprising is out of the question. There was even major news about Sophia being granted citizenship in Saudi Arabia. What would be the purpose of this, if not commercial gain? My personal theory is that Sophia is a front, a lifeless robot that’s used to give off an illusion of sentience with a whole team scripting her speech and voice acting for her. I expect that we will be seeing more “AI” robots in the near future used for marketing gimmicks and as an attraction to a specific company. Those are my thoughts on how feigning AIs might be used in the near future.
Stay skeptical, dear friends.
This is Harsh Mehta, signing off.
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