Wallach and Allen’s Ethical Thought of AMAs

975 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Discuss the ethical and social implications of artificial intelligence

In this paper, I will explore ethical issues to the artificial intelligence. In Wallach and Allen coauthored “Moral machines: teaching robots right from wrong”, they explore on many theories and practical issues for AMAs. I will use this book to interpret Wallach and Allen’s ideas of ethical design.
I. Wallach and Allen describe the necessity for good construction on AMAs
(A) The world needs good build AMAs
In the introductory part of Wallach and Allen’s book, they present three essential issues, one of them is “does the world need AMAs?”(p.9) Wallach and Allen give a positive answer, they believe that with the rapid development in new technology and mechanization, intelligent autonomous robot begin coming into our lives, AMAs may bring a variety of ethical and social issues, in support of artificial intelligence, to human society. This makes the AMAs show a certain degree of harm to society. However, the development of AMAs cannot be stopped because some futurists and social critics are criticizing the issues in the future technology of AMAs may arise. Facing the importance of risk assessment in the progress of building AMAs, they seek “precautionary principle” from ethics to regulate the AMAs, and point out that there should be a standard to use or not use those ethical principles. (p.52) conditionally assessing risk using appropriate methods, and use this basis to reassess the danger of developing AMAs is greater than risk or not. Wallach and Allen maintain an optimistic attitude about the future, they believe in the near future, “It will be possible to engineer systems that are more sensitive to the laws and moral considerations that inform ethical decisions than anything presently available.”(p.214) in view of this, Wallach a...

... middle of paper ...

...tinction theory is founded on James Moor’s level theory, Moor classified AMAs as three categories, “implicit ethical agents”, “explicit ethical agents”, and “full ethical agents”, while Wallach and Allen divide ethical level within AMAs situations into “operational morality”, “functional morality” and “full-blown moral agency”, this is so called “three-fold distinction” theory. From this I can infer that in Moore’s theoretical framework, a “autopilot” is treated as an implicit ethical agents; but from Wallach and Allen’s point of view, although its ethical value has a very low sensitivity, but in some way that it matches the implication of functional morality.

Works Cited

Turing, Alan M. "Computing machinery and intelligence." Mind 10 1950: 433-460.
Wallach, Wendell and Colin Allen. Moral machines: teaching robots right from wrong. Oxford University Press, 2010.

Show More
Related

  • Classic Trolley Ethical Analysis

    1038 Words  | 3 Pages

    This sentence is a great transition from the previous paragraph into the topic of this paragraph, which is the ethical analysis of an artificial intelligence choosing between two bad situations. Artificial intelligence raises two main problems. The first is a classic ethical dilemma; what is morally correct when choosing between two bad situations? The second question is unique to the discussion about artificial intelligence; how do we precisely and accurately define the morally correct choice? In an attempt to answer these questions, we consider the classic trolley problem.

    Read More

  • Philosophy and Metaphysics

    1170 Words  | 3 Pages

    Boden, M. A. (2001, April 25). THE AGE OF INTELLIGENT MACHINES | The Social Impact

    Read More

  • Dangers of Technology Exposed in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

    1592 Words  | 4 Pages

    Links999. Ethical and moral issues regarding artificial intelligence. Links999.org, 24 Apr. 2011. Web. 25 Apr. 2011. .

    Read More

  • Turing, Searle, and Artificial Intelligence

    1275 Words  | 3 Pages

    The conditions of the present scenario are as follows: a machine, Siri*, capable of passing the Turing test, is being insulted by a 10 year old boy, whose mother is questioning the appropriateness of punishing him for his behavior. We cannot answer the mother's question without speculating as to what A.M. Turing and John Searle, two 20th century philosophers whose views on artificial intelligence are starkly contrasting, would say about this predicament. Furthermore, we must provide fair and balanced consideration for both theorists’ viewpoints because, ultimately, neither side can be “correct” in this scenario. But before we compare hypothetical opinions, we must establish operant definitions for all parties involved. The characters in this scenario are the mother, referred to as Amy; the 10 year old boy, referred to as the Son; Turing and Searle; and Siri*, a machine that will be referred to as an “it,” to avoid an unintentional bias in favor of or against personhood. Now, to formulate plausible opinions that could emerge from Turing and Searle, we simply need to remember what tenants found their respective schools of thought and apply them logically to the given conditions of this scenario.

    Read More

  • Annotated Bibliography: Artificial Intelligence As A Threat

    1942 Words  | 4 Pages

    Margaret Boden’s “Artificial Intelligence: Cannibal or Missionary” is a credible primary source article rebutting common concerns of artificial intelligence. Boden uses strong logic to combat against the thought of artificial intelligence making humans less special and artificial intelligence causing people to be dehumanized. Boden concludes that dehumanization and people finding themselves less special from AI are false and that other concerns include people overlying on AI.

    Read More

  • The Turing Test

    1428 Words  | 3 Pages

    One of the hottest topics that modern science has been focusing on for a long time is the field of artificial intelligence, the study of intelligence in machines or, according to Minsky, “the science of making machines do things that would require intelligence if done by men”.(qtd in Copeland 1). Artificial Intelligence has a lot of applications and is used in many areas. “We often don’t notice it but AI is all around us. It is present in computer games, in the cruise control in our cars and the servers that route our email.” (BBC 1). Different goals have been set for the science of Artificial Intelligence, but according to Whitby the most mentioned idea about the goal of AI is provided by the Turing Test. This test is also called the imitation game, since it is basically a game in which a computer imitates a conversating human. In an analysis of the Turing Test I will focus on its features, its historical background and the evaluation of its validity and importance.

    Read More

  • I Robot

    1677 Words  | 4 Pages

    Artificial Intelligence, also known as AI, allows a machine to function as if the machine has the capability to think like a human. While we are not expecting any hovering cars anytime soon, artificial intelligence is projected to have a major impact on the labor force and will likely replace about half the workforce in the United States in the decades to come. The research in artificial intelligence is advancing rapidly at an unstoppable rate. So while many people feel threatened by the possibility of a robot taking over their job, computer scientists actually propose that robots would benefit a country’s efficiency of production, allowing individuals to reap the benefits of the robots. For the advantage of all, researchers and analysts have begun to mend the past ideas of human-robot interaction. They have pulled inspiration from literary works of Isaac Asimov whom many saw as the first roboticist ahead of his time, and have also gotten ideas of scholarly research done by expert analysts. These efforts have began to create an idea of a work force where humans and robots work together in harmony, on a daily basis.

    Read More

  • Influence of the Digital Revolution in Society

    1912 Words  | 4 Pages

    Lin, N. G. (2012). Robot Ethics : The Ethical and Social Implications of Robotics. Cambridge, MA, USA: MIT Press.

    Read More

  • Benefits Of Artificial Intelligence

    975 Words  | 2 Pages

    A staggering issue with artificial intelligence is their judgement to make decisions. Artificial intelligence raises flags concerning their ethical standards. While many technologies may be received as unethical, it comes down to how they are programmed. Safety standards are put

    Read More

  • Artificial Intelligence and its Effects on Business

    1711 Words  | 4 Pages

    When most people think of artificial intelligence they might think of a scene from I, Robot or from 2001: A Space Odyssey. They might think of robots that highly resemble humans start a revolution against humanity and suddenly, because of man’s creation, man is no longer the pinnacle of earth’s hierarchy of creatures. For this reason, it might scare people when I say that we already utilize artificial intelligence in every day society. While it might not be robots fighting to win their freedom to live, or a defense system that decides humanity is the greatest threat to the world, artificial intelligence already plays a big role in how business is conducted today.

    Read More

  • Advantages and Disadvantages of Robots

    992 Words  | 2 Pages

    In today's society, robots come in different types and qualities, and robots’ use was mainly in the laboratories and factories; however, that has drastically changed where their uses are changing at a high speed. In addition to that, they have spread throughout the world. The main function of robots is to replace the work that people used to do, or perform tasks that man cannot. A robot is a mechanical or virtual device that uses a computer program, or electronic circuitry, to carry out its functions. In modern science, robotics refers to the study of robots is robotics, which deals with designing, constructing, operating, and using robots and computer systems for controlling and processing information and providing feedbacks. However, as much as robots replace human labor, individuals or organizations can use them in dangerous environments that might be harmful and beneficial to humans. Therefore, to understand the logic behind the creation of robots, one should learn the pros and cons of robotics, in the current society. This is because people are using this technology without having a deep understanding of its effects. However, an objective evaluation of the use of robots, in the modern society, shows that they have a positive influence on human beings, but if the robots were overused, it could lead to a negative side. which shows why human beings should use robots wisely that will result an improvement to their societies and own lives. Robots have become interactive equipment whereby they have become part of human life. In this regard, people use them directly or indirectly to enhance the quality of their lives. However, Sharkey argues that there are ethical issues that arise because of using robots to enhance hu...

    Read More

  • Artificial Intelligence is Dangerous to Humanity

    1070 Words  | 3 Pages

    Artificial intelligence is the development of a computer system that is able to perform tasks of human intelligence like visual perception, speech recognition, and decision-making. Computer scientists have made a substantial advancement in the development of computers within the last fifty or so years. These robots and other kinds of machines are progressively more and more able to understand, speak and “think” the way human beings do. Scientists are even now saying that these robots are going to be able to develop counterparts and new artificial intelligence to a greater degree than any human being could ever do ("Artificial”). My concern is though, are we going to be able to trust these robots to “takeover” our communities safely? I personally think that the robots will cause nothing less than danger to our community.

    Read More

  • Impacts Of Artificial Intelligence

    1178 Words  | 3 Pages

    Recently, the media has spent an increasing amount of broadcast time on new technology. The focus of high-tech media has been aimed at the flurry of advances concerning artificial intelligence (AI). What is artificial intelligence and what is the media talking about? Are these technologies beneficial to our society or potential threats? Medical facilities, police departments, and manufacturing plants have all been changed by AI. Will machine language and artificial neural network replace humans in the future?

    Read More

  • Evolution Of Artificial Intelligence

    1176 Words  | 3 Pages

    Artificial Intelligence “is the ability of a human-made machine to emulate or simulate human methods for the deductive and inductive acquisition and application of knowledge and reason” (Bock, 182). The early years of artificial intelligence were seen through robots as they exemplified the advances and potential, while today AI has been integrated society through technology. The beginning of the thought of artificial intelligence happened concurrently with the rise of computers and the dotcom boom. For many, the utilization of computers in the world was the most advanced role they could ever see machines taking. However, life has drastically changed from the 1950s. This essay will explore the history of artificial intelligence, discuss the

    Read More

  • Robots Advantages And Disadvantages

    707 Words  | 2 Pages

    To conclude, robots could be the backbone of the society that will result in a technological revolution. Because of robots various characteristics that do not experience fear, nor exhaustion and they are precisely programmed, which make them able to help in case of need, housework, and factories production. Society needs to put the issue of robots into consideration to satisfy any shortage exists in the world.

    Read More

More about Wallach and Allen’s Ethical Thought of AMAs

Open Document