Helmsman Article: AI vs AS

Artificial Intelligence versus Artificial Sentience: the Measure of a Man by Doctor Veronica Varona
(OOC: Technical Successes: 2, Philosophical Successes: 3, Expression Successes: 3)

Cogito, ergo sum

	“Je pense, donc je suis” was how it was originally published in Rene Descartes’ Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting One’s Reasoning and of Seeking Truth in Science in 1637. “I think, therefore I am” is the Latin philosophical proposition that suggests that the very act of doubting one’s own existence serves as proof of the reality of one’s own mind; that there is a self for there to be thought.

	When discussing Artificial Intelligence (AI), the Technocracy has created a mass hysteria campaign that AI will become self-aware and evolve into believing that machines are superior to humans, and that soon machines will replace all of humanity. However, if one were to examine artificial intelligence more closely, one will notice just how limited AI truly is.

	The definition of artificial intelligence is the foundation based on the crunching of a lot of numbers at great speed towards a specific goal, upon which is added algorithms to sample data, try strategies, observe and remember consequences, and adjust future strategies accordingly. AI can outperform humans at these mental tasks, which give the illusion of machines being smart. However, this is simply a cognitive trick.

	Alan Turing, an esteemed Virtual Adept, proposed a test as a way to measure a machine’s ability to think. The Turing Test, though, is not really a standardized test, but actually more of a game which he called the Imitation Game. In 1950, Turing predicted that by the year 2000, computers will be able to fool the human judges that they are indeed talking to a human rather than a computer.
In 2014, Eugene Goostman was the first machine to trick one-third of the judges, tricking them into thinking that they were talking to a 13 year old boy who spoke a different language than the judges. However, critics claim that the Eugene was programmed for the sole purpose of beating the Turing Test.

	Even in 1637, Descartes observes that machines will match or exceed humans in some areas, but then fail tremendously in others, which reveals that they are acting from programming, not from reason and understanding. AI is driven by its programming and algorithms, but any extra energy exerted by the machine does not get reallocated to other tasks or used for non-programmed initiatives where the machine may question or doubt its own programming. It’s simply defined by the code used to create the machine. It’s for this very reason that some suspect that there is systemic racism in AI, because the machines are programmed with flawed code. AI is unable to identify the flawed coding.

Dubito, ergo cogito, ergo sum

	Antoine Leonard Thomas, a French poet, articulated Descartes’ intent with the phrase, “I doubt, therefore I think, therefore I am.” Having doubt and fear of the existence of one’s self inspires thought, which in turn proves the self. By adding the emotional component and questions of self-awareness, it brings consciousness into the context of the discussion.

	This is why when Cybernauts focus on synthesizing real human consciousness, they need to focus on Artificial Sentience (AS). Unfortunately, human consciousness is still being debated within the philosophical circles. That is why AS hypothesizes that consciousness is generated by the interoperation of neural correlates of consciousness (NCC) within the brain. This hypothesis requires certain assumptions to be truths such as a correlation between the subjective mental states and brain states, and that consciousness is a state-dependent property of highly interconnected biological systems. So in theory, Cybernauts would just need to synthesize the same process as the NCC to produce AS.

	Esteemed Doctor Igor Aleksander, an emeritus professor of Neural Systems Engineering in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at Imperial College London and fellow Cybernaut, describes a philosophical feature of consciousness as the ability to tackle real life problems with intelligence. It involves the following:
	•	Conscious and unconscious are the phenomena of consciousness in beings
	•	Beings exhibit awareness when conscious. Whereas, certain levels of awareness and attention is given in dream states when
	they are unconscious.
	•	A thinking mind generates information with a certain level of priority and attention in respect to certain goals or emotional
	states. Based on the type of problem, intelligence, knowledge and experience, the thinking mind generates different types of
	thought.
	•	Consciousness is based on characteristics such as inbuilt or inherited qualities, states, personality, intelligence,
	creativity and instincts.
	•	The states of consciousness may change as a result of experiences such as emotions and expressions.

	Once a Cybernaut is able to replicate these behaviors in a bioroid, then it lends credence that the bioroid has achieved AS. Using the principles of Sentientism, displaying the ability to experience suffering or positive feeling should determine whether we grant moral consideration to a being. As seen in Humanism, Sentientism requires critical, evidence-based thinking. It is based on a full range of emotion and experience.

	There are several different tools available that can provide the metrics and provide empirical evidence for when a bioroid has achieved AS. Those tools include, but not limited to:
	•	ConsScale which measures the cognitive development in an entity.
	•	Empathy Quotient Test which measures empathy / emotion and is divided into three sub categories: cognitive empathy,
	emotional reactivity, and social skills.
	•	International Affective Picture System which measures the emotional response caused by the NCC. Oddly enough, this is
	very similar to the Voigt-Kampff Test seen in the novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” by Philip K. Dick.

	In conclusion, the Measure of a Man (Bioroid) is not so much in its intelligence, but the application of intelligence and reason to solve real life problems. Cybernauts need to focus on replicating the processes of the NCC via the Noetic Sciences and Etheric Biology in order to achieve Artificial Sentience.