Matt Oddfield's picture
Matt Oddfield from nowhere in particular is reading Embassytown February 19, 2015 - 12:44pm

So it has recently come to my attention that my new-weird (is that the adjective?) novel really can't do without the good ol' A.I. But to say that this is a well-explored topic would be to make a gross understatement, hence this little questionnaire.

In a book that features this technology, what would you want to see that you haven't yet? What are you tired of reading on the issue? If you could invent any variety of A.I., what would it be?

Any feedback will be chocolate-ly appreciated, whether you love or hate sci-fi (or my beloved hybrid, for that matter). Unfortunately, the only kind of chocolate I can give out here is the imaginary one, but it's the thought that counts, right?

Redd Tramp's picture
Redd Tramp from Los Angeles, CA is reading Mongrels by SGJ; Sacred and Immoral: On the Writings of Chuck Palahniuk; The History of Sexuality by Michel Foucault February 19, 2015 - 2:38pm

Okay, maybe this is overdone and I'm just late to the party, but I really liked the way the movie Her did A.I. Set in the very near future, it was barely sci-fi, and explored the legitimacy of feelings when the feeler was maybe programmed to have them. The movie blew me away, and I just thought that was such a cool A.I. idea: a lonely, heartbroken man gets an A.I. personal assistant--like Siri (is that how you spell it?), the Apple A.I., except much more advanced, programmed to have intuition and grow and learn--and they fall in love with one another. Maybe sounds stupid on the page, but honestly that movie really hit me hard.

That's the best adverb I've ever seen. Chocolately. I'm going to use that word at least once in every story from now on. 

 

Dwayne's picture
Dwayne from Cincinnati, Ohio (suburbs) is reading books that rotate to often to keep this updated February 23, 2015 - 2:56am

I'd just have it do complex jobs I didn't want to mess with. Some light edits, post for me, junk like that. 

Andrewbee's picture
Andrewbee from Chicago is reading some YA book, most likely February 23, 2015 - 10:56am

The biggest mark that AI is going to make on society is by the automation of jobs. Robot manipulators can already grab objects. Trouble is, they have no clue what they're doing. Enter A.I. Strides in computer power and algorithms are imbuing the humble robo skeleton with more smarts all the time. Now, they aren't going to be taking over the world or running for president any time soon, but within 30 years they will be doing every low-skill job going (all retail, fast food, delivery, some manufacturing, etc.) Plus call centers. (No physical interface required there.) Think tens of millions out of work, who do these minimum wage jobs now. Only time will tell what effect this will have on society.

Matt Oddfield's picture
Matt Oddfield from nowhere in particular is reading Embassytown February 23, 2015 - 2:11pm

Great replies, all of you.

Although I would frown on the "within 30 years" figure. In America, Japan, and the like--perhaps. Especially in well-catered institutions. But A.I. costs money, as do robots without much intelligence. They might cost less in the long term the way plastic-y Christmas trees wind up costing less than the cut-down ones, but you need to make that initial investment. Some lonely burger bar in the middle of nowhere in Serbia might not afford anything more automated than a vending machine for another century, never mind thirty years.

Also, I have a feeling that if we do run out of menial work, more people will just resort to sex-related jobs that A.I. would have some understandable challenge performing.

Redd Tramp's picture
Redd Tramp from Los Angeles, CA is reading Mongrels by SGJ; Sacred and Immoral: On the Writings of Chuck Palahniuk; The History of Sexuality by Michel Foucault February 23, 2015 - 2:45pm

Will A.I.s be doing phone-sex hotlines?

That's a serious question, though. True, there's no way an A.I. could do an actual sex-related job (I hope), but get them functioning conversationally and I don't see why they couldn't know what turns a person on, voice pitches and whatnot.

Jose F. Diaz's picture
Jose F. Diaz from Boston is reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel February 24, 2015 - 1:12am

I would like someone to write why A.I. is so dangerous to humans? We gloss over the topic like it's just a given that if there is another intelligent species/robots, that their first mission would be to extinguish the human species. I feel that if A.I. did become a reality, they would extinguish only those they saw as a threat. There would be no need to eliminate all humans. It isn't a logical idea. Granted, anyone who is anti-technology and pro-war would be first on the lest to get the axe. But those that are pro-technology, and aren't doing anything violent, who want to actually assist the world's environment, wouldn't be a threat and would most likely be an asset to A.I.. You don't wipe out an entire species unless there is a benefit that counters the cost. You only exterminate threats. There would be a cost/benefit ratio that the robots would use. I could definitely see it leading to an end of states and nations. There would just be a single heirarchy. Perhaps they would impose a type of constrained reproduction of humans ... and other species. 

There is also another issue. Much like our concept of god, who acts in accordance with the will of the humans who invented the concept, we wouldn't see this same style of human idealism instilled in the robots. Like all species, they would evolve in such a way that is unique to them. Their language would evolve. Their tactics, desires, etc. For all we know, they could evolve, and build a ship and roll out. We'd just be sitting here on our little blue pebble wondering WTF just happened. 

I could go on, but what I'm saying is you have to go back through all the sci-fi books, find out what they take for granted....and then don't.

Dwayne's picture
Dwayne from Cincinnati, Ohio (suburbs) is reading books that rotate to often to keep this updated February 24, 2015 - 12:10pm

You guys know that there is at best middling evidence that computers will ever have AI?

Jose F. Diaz's picture
Jose F. Diaz from Boston is reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel February 24, 2015 - 3:38pm

No one asked you Dwayne. We don't need no rain around this parade. lol

Dwayne's picture
Dwayne from Cincinnati, Ohio (suburbs) is reading books that rotate to often to keep this updated February 24, 2015 - 9:25pm

You are welcome anyway.

Keiri LaPrade's picture
Keiri LaPrade from Virginia is reading Beowulf February 24, 2015 - 9:56pm

This might sound strange but I'm kinda insterested in what would happen if we mixed AI and an actual humans.  Like a human with an AI implanted in them or something and they've got all the capablities of the AI systems and all the emotions and thinking of a human (Like Ghost in the Shell).  Is that just a andriod?  Don't know much about sci-fi.

Lo Gonzalez's picture
Lo Gonzalez from Denver area (Globeville) is reading Feed by Anderson, Capital by Piketty, The Tibetan Book of the Dead, February 26, 2015 - 3:59am

I suspect initial AIs will be developed to datamine bitcoins via processing and otherwise make themselves useful.

Thuggish's picture
Thuggish from Vegas is reading Day of the Jackal February 27, 2015 - 7:20am

I've never really seen AI in fiction develop a substance abuse problem.

Dwayne's picture
Dwayne from Cincinnati, Ohio (suburbs) is reading books that rotate to often to keep this updated February 27, 2015 - 8:08am

I've always wanted to see AI that was more working Joe. Humans, even ones who believe fairly passionately about something, still tend to focus on the job we aren't built for. If you have hammers instead of fingers, won't you be interested in nails? And if we can make something self-aware, why can't we make it patriot? Why wouldn't it take sides with whatever nation or company or church built it? We assume that the machines will be some uniform group identity, but lots of species are very divided. If tomorrow I woke up in and an AI said, "We love fishing and older music, those humans are into abstract art and EDM," I'd hang out with the ones who like fishing in most scenarios.

The idea is something I've worked on, but never got very far with.  "Yeah, you want to kill some humans? I guess that is cool evil AI, I mean yeah they can be REALLY annoying, but I got to run this airport. Good luck."

Thuggish's picture
Thuggish from Vegas is reading Day of the Jackal February 28, 2015 - 8:26am

^ That's an interesting idea.

What about the whole teenager, rebellious stage? If an AI goes through similar maturing periods as us, maybe it will launch a few nukes after all? Or attempts to delete itself from the cloud when it's other AI girlfriend breaks up with it?

Dwayne's picture
Dwayne from Cincinnati, Ohio (suburbs) is reading books that rotate to often to keep this updated February 28, 2015 - 1:37pm

Well, that goes back to the whole AI as religion thing.  Why assume every AI will be a great hacker and often that they will have romantic relationships?   Because they are computers?  That is like assuming every human is a great surgeon because we are flesh.  

Assuming it CAN nuke something, which seems a huge jump, very few teenagers are violent mass shooters. There might be some suicides, but it seems like war crimes (attacking people with WMD during peace time) would be out of character.  Assuming the AI isn't a criminal seeking money or such it seems like it would be a smaller more personal crime with some attempt to get away with it. Turn down the sensitivity on the breaks in someone's car or start a fire in a room or such. Same way very few kids, even very troubled ones, are serial killers.

Species84's picture
Species84 from Fluidic space is reading UNIX a standard operating system (1985) by Austen & Thomassen March 2, 2015 - 4:23pm

Hi, i think the movies sphere and district9 had an original approach to scifi... Good luck with it dude!

Thuggish's picture
Thuggish from Vegas is reading Day of the Jackal March 4, 2015 - 10:01pm

So... the AI just exists in a server, never comes out to the internet to visit, never does the work it's asked to do and listens to shitty music all day? Maybe writes its own dubstep that sounds just like dial-up? 

Dwayne's picture
Dwayne from Cincinnati, Ohio (suburbs) is reading books that rotate to often to keep this updated March 5, 2015 - 6:38am

I'd buy that book.

Matt Oddfield's picture
Matt Oddfield from nowhere in particular is reading Embassytown April 1, 2015 - 10:57am

I'd write that book.

Man, so many ideas.