Download Frankenstein and AI 36KB Mar 11 2003 09:24:32 PM

Andrew Stone
October 13, 2002
English 103R
Mica Gould
AI: An Immorality
Look around. In every aspect of our lives, we are surrounded by some sort of
computer system. They populate our everyday appliances, and operate our complex
defense systems. Objects as simple as a toothbrush contain small computer pieces, and
massive jetliners contain thousands of individual computer components. Doubtlessly,
computer technology has progressed tremendously over the past twenty years. More
recently, computer science has taken a turn to develop Artificial Intelligence (AI).
However, on its current track, this progression aims towards a bleak future. Just as
Victor Frankenstein’s creation in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, this development of an
alternate source of intelligence may lead to undesirable effects.
Apart from the original “computers” such as human fingers and the abacus, the
first electronic computer, known as ENIAC, was developed to help people count and
perform calculations. It was a massive machine containing 18,000 vacuum tubes and
3,000 switches, all originally designed for the Army’s use. Weighing over thirty tons,
ENIAC was the size of a large room (Sobel). As years progressed, so did our thirst for
more advanced computer technology. Just as Victor Frankenstein’s lust for his work,
computer science has become one of the most admired fields of study. Each year, hefty
sums of money are spent on developing computer components. There is a direct
comparison to how Victor Frankenstein devotes all of his thought to creating life and how
we as humans similarly devote our knowledge towards a parallel creation.
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Victor Frankenstein became intrigued with his studies. He becomes a raging
workaholic and eventually devotes all of his time to his research. Now, mankind has
pushed forward in research and has a new thirst for a new concept: AI. We have
developed a dependency on the development of AI, just as Victor Frankenstein’s sick
desire to create life. The lengths to which Frankenstein goes to develop his creation are
to an extreme. He cuts off relationships with his family and friends and drives himself to
a point of sickness with his work. This is symbolically the madness to the human race.
Although not as evident, we as people have a sick determination to uncover the secrets to
creating our own form of life and take it into our own control.
Now in the year 2002, the art of computer engineering is at a level that was
unimaginable twenty years ago. We have achieved many aspirations in the field, but
more importantly, we have created amazing computational power at a reasonable price
requiring very little area. Now we strive to create computers that work on their own,
computers that think, and computers with emotion. We struggle to create an alternate
form of aptitude. We strain to create Artificial Intelligence. We drive to create life itself.
It is these aspirations that make us similar to Victor Frankenstein. The demise he faces
will in turn become our own if we continue in this diabolical manner to essentially play
God’s role and create lifelike entities.
In Frankenstein, Victor’s monster is his ultimate achievement. However, upon
creating this entity, he becomes sickened with his actions. Once his light and ambition,
his creation becomes a repulsive creature. Victor abandons his creation and runs away
from the torment it brings him. He flees in terror and dismay. But the results of his
actions are irreversible, and the monster eventually leads to Victor’s death. The
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development of Artificial Intelligence is recognizably a direct analogy to this situation.
Everyone must see the direct connection made between our creation of artificial life and
Victor’s creation of a monster. If AI is developed any further, it could possibly destroy
the human race.
In today’s world, computer code is anything but problem free. These problems
existing within the code of a program, known as “bugs”, are apparent in most of the
popular software people use. Generally speaking, businesses report annual losses in the
billions of dollars attributed to these bugs in computer software. Full scale battleships
have been towed back to harbor because the main system crashed and shut down the ship.
Although perhaps a humorous thought at first, these are ironically the systems on which
we rely to protect our country. This becomes a serious issue. And so many home PC
users have experiences the infamous “blue screen of death” that comes as almost a
feature with all windows operating systems. The development of AI would not be
without its own problems. These problems would present themselves in any form of AI,
and nothing would guarantee safety from a bug in the AI coding. One mistake could lead
to the shutting down of a large network, or perhaps launching nuclear defense weapons.
Victor Frankenstein’s creation was far from perfect. In fact, it was so ugly, Victor
himself could hardly set his eyes upon it. The horrendous creature upset any presence
around him. Our creations would not be any different than Victor Frankenstein’s.
AI brings up several questions concerning morality. Suppose a true artificial
intelligence is created and think about the rights we would provide it. Naturally, human
nature wouldn’t allow the AI to be on the same social level as humanity, but a step
below. It would be a new prejudice, where AI would be used only for labor tasks. If we
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are the creators, then we would be the masters. We would not hesitate to abandon our
“mistake creations” or destroy them. Victor shares similar views to his creation. In fact,
upon encountering the monster, Victor’s words are filled with abolition:
“Devil,” I exclaimed, “do you dare approach me? and do not
you fear the fierce vengeance of my arm wreaked on your
miserable head? Begone, vile insect! or rather, stay, that I
may trample you to dust! And, those victims whom you have
so diabolically murdered!” (Shelley 68)
These words show Victor’s desires to clear the monster from his life, even if it means
killing him. To further the emotions, Victor not only wishes death and disownment for
his creation, but extremely harsh punishment: “‘Abhorred monster! fiend that thou art!
the tortures of hell are too mild a vengeance for thy crimes. Wretched devil! You
reproach me with your creation; come on, then, that I may extinguish the spark which I so
negligently bestowed’” (Shelley 68). This is a model of how we would treat any creation
of our own. As a society, we must realize these dangers before they are allowed to occur.
Addressing the other side of the argument is a simple task. Ignoring the initial
assumptions based off of Frankenstein, one might assume that AI could potentially be
helpful. However, even in a case that AI becomes fully developed, human nature has not
changed. In other words, one can argue AI’s contribution to society, but no one can
argue the instinct of mankind. This reflects how each aspect of the AI would be
developed. For example, we can look at A.L.I.C.E. “A.L.I.C.E. is an artificial
intelligence natural language chat robot based on an experiment specified by Alan M . . .
A.L.I.C.E. won the Loebner Prize, an annual Turing Test, in 2000 and 2001” (Wallace).
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This AI computer program is progressing daily. The source code for this individual “AI
Robot” is available freely to the world via the internet in multiple programming
languages, including C/C++ and Java. Thus, people worldwide can work independently
on developing the inner core of the project. But as later stated in the philosophical
documentation: “People are simply too untrustworthy in the ‘facts’ that they would teach
the learning machine. Many clients try to deliberately sabotage the bot with false
information” (Wallace). The words of Wallace are based upon the facts of history. We
look at the evils committed by mankind, not only in large scales (i.e. Hitler, Stalin, etc)
but also in every individual person. Based upon the theory that humans are evil by
nature, nothing would prevent evil from obtaining AI technology. Just as available
technology nowadays (advanced radar systems or chemical weapons for example) belong
to communist dictatorships, AI could also be obtained by untrustworthy people.
Frankenstein shows us deaths as a result of Victor’s creation. These murders,
although undoubtedly committed by Frankenstein’s monster, raise an interesting
question. One must wonder if Victor Frankenstein or the monster itself is responsible for
the deaths. When adapting this conundrum to the AI scene, an even more in-depth
argument is established. Take for example the company Kiwilogic which “offers virtual
service agents powered by the Lingubot technology, which ‘makes it possible to directly
answer the user's questions, in natural language, on the actual Web site’” (Balleste 10).
The reason this company utilizes AI rather than a normal human workforce is to “provide
a virtual agent that is on stand-by, ready to serve, on a 24-hour basis” (Balleste 10). The
general reason of implementing this AI technology is simple: “Kiwilogic intends to help
businesses increase customer satisfaction” (Balleste 10). However, this is exactly where
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a problem arises. Suppose AI is utilized to help increase a businesses customer
satisfaction, sales, or performance. If the AI is wrong and the business strategy fails,
responsibility falls in a gray area. Many possibilities of fault exist, but none can be
completely accurate. Blame could fall on the AI itself, the AI programmer(s), the
programming company, the retailed, the company utilizing the technology, the business
that used the technology, or perhaps no one at all.
In a viewpoint based upon analogy, Victor Frankenstein is humanity and his
creation is AI. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is an indirect warning to us. The messages
and warnings contained within its pages have survived through the years because of their
validity to today’s society. In this situation, they pertain to a great extent. We cannot toil
in the realm of creation, because we would only be creating something which we could
not control. If AI is fully developed, it could be used for bad as well as good. And AI
would present all sorts of problems, including bugs in the software as well as the
presentation of false information. Mankind would despise this creation. It would be
considered a lower entity. We would abandon our creation, attempt to destroy it, and
cause confusion between real and artificial intelligence.