This week we have been discussing Trans-humanism. This refers to the movement towards the development of new technologies to enhance human life (something that my son is passionate about).
If AI will instructing humans
VIDEO:
Robbie video depicts a robot with what I would consider are human like qualities, feeling emotions like happiness or loneliness; need to have friendships; creative, talks about choosing a faith, works independently, is self aware, take responsibility, is rational etc. I guess he is no different to a human apart from not having skin, bones and flesh.
However does that mean that humans are machines once we substitute our flesh or metal and machinery?
Initially Robbie was under the control of a human but then he was given his own artificial intelligence. It reminds me of the Planet of the Apes where humans were always considered of lesser superiority due to the intelligence of the apes.
Gumdrop Short Film:
The personality and communication skills of Gumdrop appear human like presenting a utopian view of robots. She is obviously a machine but her design is human like with endearing human like qualities.
True Skin video is exactly where my mind was going to next. When is a human body that is made up of machine not a human. Where is the distinction between man and machine. I think of 'blade runner' competing in the Olympic games against others without prosthetic s When is it not OK for a person with non organic body parts to compete against 'organic' human competitors?
I feel especially taken by the concept of being able to retrieve our memories to retain our humanness. It is particularly worrying to me thinking of people who have no memories eg Alzheimer's
and question the quality of their life.
Video Avatar Days:
Interesting depiction of the merging of life for online game players of Warcraft with their avatars and the blurring of the real and imaginary world.
Blog comments I found interesting:
1. It seems that, for a transhumanist, society can take control of technology and use it to enhance ourselves so as to learn more, or maybe better.
Ref: http://elqueencuentrabusca.blogspot.com.ar/2013/02/edcmooc-week-4-so-what-does-learning.html
No comments:
Post a Comment