Questions - Personhood & AI

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Questions - Personhood & AI

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xxbatmanxjokerxx

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Personhood & AI

1. What is a theory of personhood? What is artificial intelligence? What do

discussions of personhood have to do with computers? What do these discussions
have to do with nonhuman animals?

a. The theory of personhood is identifying certain attributes needed to qualify

something as a person. Artificial Intelligence is computers and their ability to
perform tasks given to them. Discussions of personhood have to do with
computers because the question of computers and whether they have a
consciousness and can feel human emotions and be “human.” It is an ever-
growing question as technology improves more and more. These discussions have
to do with nonhuman animals because it is a question on whether animals have
the abilities to process the world like humans do—their cognitive ability so to
speak.

2. Despite differing theories of personhood, what have philosophers historically used

the word ‘person’ to designate? In other words, what is significantly identified
through the use of this term?

a. Philosophers have used this term to highlight characteristics that differentiate

between people and non-people. The ability to think, rationalize, be self-aware,
show emotion, have morals and the like are some characteristics that deal with
“personness.” Things that are considered to have these characteristics are treated
differently than those without them, and it brings about many ethical and moral
implications on how things should be treated.

3. What is the most common response to who counts as a person? How do movies
like AI, Blade Runner, 2001, or I, Robot challenge this view?

a. I feel like a common response would be that they can feel emotions and think not
only logically but morally/emotionally too. Maybe also that they know they exist
and have a consciousness telling them they are a real person? I feel like movies
such as those listed challenge this view because the AI/computers, usually
associated with logical thinking, end up having their own views on things and do
not just do what they are programmed for.
4. What is one commonly held view among philosophers regarding the criterion for
personhood? Explain a troubling difficulty that arises with this theory of
personhood?

a. The criterion for personhood is rationality. People’s ability to reason and think
things through. A troubling difficulty that could arise from this theory is trying to
distinguish what is rational. There is no clear principle for what is rational and
what is not. Where do we draw the line between what is rational and not rational,
and then distinguish what is a person and what is not a person based on that
thinking?

5. What is a Turing Test? What is it intended to confirm or disconfirm?

a. The Turing test is a test designed for AI to showcase fluency in

communication, and to see if a computer could communicate so well that it
fools a human into thinking its also a human. It is intended to confirm or
disconfirm if a computer can play the part of a human as well as see if
computers could enter a stage where they gain a consciousness.

6. Explain Searle’s Chinese room argument/experiment. What is it intended to

show?

a. This experiment is basically a person being handed tasks and performing them as
told. They end up doing this for so long that they memorize the task they are
given and are able to do them efficiently and put out great work. When asked if
they can understand what they wrote, they are unable to. This makes no sense
though as the person was able to memorize their tasks and perform them
excellently. It is intended to show that computers are merely performing the task
given to them, they don’t understand what it is they are doing. They can write the
language, but they can’t understand it.

7. The discussion of personhood is central to some contemporary social and political

issues. What two issues are presented in this chapter from the book?

a. Two issues I picked up from reading the chapter are animal rights and the rights
of AI. In talking about persons and what makes someone a person we have to
consider if we would deem non-humans to be persons. If AI reaches a point where
they hold characteristics that would make someone a person, would they also be
considered persons. If both groups were to be considered persons, what treatment
would they get? Would they get rights, and if so which ones? Would they be
persons on a limited basis, or would they have full blown personhood?
8. Movies like The Terminator, The Matrix, Bladerunner, AI, I, Robot and 2001, to
name just a few, present the possibility of future world dystopias. These
imagined scenarios suggest that technology, typically assumed to be beneficial,
may become dangerous. These movies represent a common style of film, which
suggests that this idea is a live hypothesis in the thought of western culture. Is
this simply the popular imagination running wild, or is there legitimate cause for
concern? Provide a reason(s) for your response. What moral should we draw
from these films?

A. I think there is legitimate cause for concern because the more we improve AI the
more power it has to turn on us, which sounds a bit far-fetched written out like
that, but does not make it any less of a possibility. The more we try to see if AI
has the capacity to be human, the more likely that one day there will be a future
where it is hard to distinguish AI from human, and if they decide they don’t want
to serve us but rule over us, then we are most likely powerless to stop them. I
think the moral we should draw from these films is to know when enough is
enough. As humans we strive for continuous improvement but sometimes these
improvements can be detrimental. We want to improve AI to help us out more,
but we might end up causing our own demise because of this.