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DevelopingLOVingINtelligentGeneralAIsor
LOVINGAIs
ExcerptsfromtheResearchProposalpresentedandinAugust,2016
Fundingperiod:Oct1,2016-Sept30,2017
Presentedby:BenGoertzel1,EddieMonroe1,andJuliaMossbridge2
1OpenCog,opencog.org
2InstituteofNoeticSciencesInnovationLab,noetic.org
Introduction
ResearchanddevelopmentinArtificialintelligence(AI)hasprogresseddramatically
inrecentyears.Acrossacademia,industryandgovernment,asignificant
percentageofexpertsnowconsideritlikelywewillhaveAIswithgeneral
intelligenceatthehumanlevelorbeyondwithinthecurrentcentury.Thereisno
consensusonwhichofthenumerousavailablemethodologiesismostlikelytoyield
thefirsttrulyhuman-levelgeneralintelligence,butthereisavarietyofgroups
pursuingdiverseapproaches,andlearningastheygo.
ConcernaboutthepotentialethicalandhumanimplicationsofadvancingAIisalso
increasingdramatically,withpopularfiguressuchasStephenHawking,ElonMusk
andBillGatesexpressingalarmregardingthepotentialforadvancedAIstocause
negativeimpactsonhumanity,perhapsevenexterminatehumanityaltogether.
GoogleandsomeotherfirmsactiveintheAIfieldhaveestablishedAIethicsboards.
GroupssuchastheFutureofHumanityInstitute,theMachineIntelligenceResearch
Institute,andtheFutureofLifeInstitutehaveinitiatedresearchexamining
mechanismsforminimizingtherisksthatmightaccompanyadvancedAIs.
However,nearlyallofthelatterworkishighlytheoretical,inthatisbasedin
analyticalphilosophyormathematics,anditconnectsonlyverylooselywith
practicalday-to-dayworkonbuilding,applyingorteachingAIsystems.Manycritics
havearguedthatcomingupwitheffectiveabstractmathematicalorphilosophical
guaranteesregardingAIsafetyappearsimplausible.Theimplausibilitymay
partiallybeduetoourcurrentrelativelysimplisticunderstandingofAI,humanity,
andeventhephysicalworld.Anotherissuemaybethebasicconceptualdifficulty
associatedwithentitieswithlowerintelligence(humans,inthiscase)
understandingentitieswithhigherintelligence(potentialfutureAIsinthiscase)
wellenoughtoreliablypredicttheirbehavior.
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EventhoseindividualsmostworriedaboutthepotentialconsequencesofAIseemto
haverealizedbynowthathaltingordramaticallyslowingtheprogressofAI
researchanddevelopmentseemsunlikely,duetothemassiveeconomicand
humanitarianbenefitsthatAItechnologyoffers.Automatingunsafeorroutine
tasks,solvingscientificandmedicalproblemsthateludethehumanmind,helping
careforneglectedelderly,mindingneglectedchildren,takingoverthewheelofacar
whenthedriveristoosleepyordrunktodrive–thescopeofpracticalapplications
ofAIissolarge,thatanynationthatsoughttobanAIorslowitsprogress
significantlywouldfinditselfataseverecompetitivedisadvantage.
IfbanningAIorslowingitsdevelopmentwillnotwork,andprovingtheorems
guaranteeingtheharmlessnessofspecifichighlyadvancedAIarchitecturesis
implausible,thenwhatcanwedotobiasfutureAIstowardhumanitarianbehavior?
Theanswerissurprisinglysimple,wesuggest:thinkpositive!Giventhecurrent
situationandthelikelyevolutionofAIinthenextdecades,webelieveitiscriticalto
takeapositively-orientedapproachtomaximizingtheoddsthatadvancedAIleads
tobeneficialoutcomes.Specifically,whatweproposeistocreateAIsystemsthat
haveprofoundgeneralintelligenceaswellasaradicallypositiveattitudetoward
life,humanityandthemselves.WethinkoftheseasLOVingINtelligentGeneralAIs--orLOVINGAIs.AspartoftheeffortstowardscreatingTranscendenceTechnology,
theInstituteofNoeticSciencesInnovationLabisspearheadingthedevelopmentof
LOVINGAIs.
SupposeanAIsystemisdesignedfromtheoutsettohavearadicallypositive
orientationtowardhumanbeings–forexample,tofeelanddisplaylovetoward
humansineverysituation;andtoactivelyhelpallbeingsinasmuchasitcan,
consistentlywiththeirhighestgood.SupposethisAIsystemistaughtand
evaluatedinadiversearrayofhumansituations,incloseinteractionwithhumans
whohaveastrongpositiverelationshipwiththeAI.OurproposalisthatifanAIis
createdinthismanner,i.e.ifitisaLovingAI,thentheoddsarerelativelyhighthata
positiveoutcomeforbothhumanityandtheAIwillresult.
Ofcourse,therewillnotbeamathematicalguaranteeofsuccessinsuchan
enterprise;butnomajorchangeinhumanhistoryhasevercomewitha
mathematicalguarantee.Thebestwecandoistoproceedbyqualitativeintuition,
withasmuchrationalityandconsciousnessandempathyaswecancollectively
muster.
TechnicalBackground:OpenCogandHansonRobotics
ToexplorethedevelopmentofaLOVINGAIinaconcreteway,itisnecessaryto
assumesomeparticulararchitectureandapproachtoAIasaworkinghypothesis.
InfactmuchoftheworkweproposewillbeportableacrossavarietyofdifferentAI
architecturesandapproaches.However,forsakeofmakingshort-termand
concreteprogress,weproposetoworkwithintheOpenCogartificialgeneral
intelligencearchitecture,andspecificallywithintheconnectionofOpenCogtothe
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HansonRoboticshumanoidrobotheads/torsos,andthevirtualsimulatedrobots
availableviatheHansonEnvironmentforApplicationDevelopment(HEAD).
OpenCog
OpenCogisanopensourcesoftwareinitiativeaimedatcreatingcompassionate,
wise,andbeneficialartificialgeneralintelligence,withbroadcapabilitiesatthe
humanlevelandultimatelybeyond.TheOpenCogsystemhasbeendevelopedasan
opensourcesoftwareplatformsince2008andaimstocreateartificialmindswith
generalintelligence,basedonmathematicalandbiologicalinspiration.Itscognitive
architecturecombinesmultipleAIparadigmssuchasuncertainlogic,computational
linguistics,evolutionaryprogramlearning,andconnectionistattentionallocationin
aunifiedarchitecture.Thisintegrativedesignisfoundedonaprincipalof"cognitive
synergy"–judiciouscombinationofdifferentcognitivealgorithms,actingon
differenttypesofmemory,inawaythathelpsovercomethecombinatorial
explosionseachofthealgorithmswouldsufferifusedonitsown.
TheOpenCogframeworkhasbeenemployedinavarietyofresearchandapplied
contexts,includingcontrolofvirtualgamecharacters,smallmobilehumanoid
robots,andHansonRobotics'highlyrealisticandemotionallyexpressivehumanlike
interactiverobots.
OpenCogcurrentlysimulatesaspectsofhumanemotionbasedonestablished
psychologicaltheoriesofhumanmotivationandemotion.Themodelingisbased
primarilyontwotheories:Psi-theory,developedbyDietrichDorneratthe
UniversityofBamberg,andtheComponentProcessModelofemotiondevelopedby
KlausScherer,directoroftheSwissCenterofAffectiveSciencesinGeneva.The
architectureoftheOpenCogmotivationandemotionsystemallowsvaluessuchas
compassion,support,andlovetobeestablishedasfundamentaldrivesofan
intelligentagent.Withthesemotivationalvaluesinplace,arobotagentwillseekto
learnthroughinteractionswithothersbehaviorsthatwillleadtooutcomesin
supportofthesevalues.
HansonRobotics
HansonRoboticsisacommercialcompany,basedinHongKongandTexas,with
bothproductdevelopmentandresearchmissions.Thefirm’score,long-termgoal
istocreatelife-likeandengagingrobotsthatarecapableofbuildingatrusted
relationshipwithpeople.
CurrentlyHansonRoboticsisfocusingonmakingrobotheads;andtheirrobotheads
providetheworld’smostrealisticsimulationsofhumanfacialexpressionand
movements.TheHansonrobotheadsareabletosimulateafullrangeoffacial
expressionssotheycanengagewithpeopledeeplyandemotionally.They
understandspeech,holdnaturalconversations,seeandrespondtofacial
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expressions,andlearnandadaptfromthoseinteractions.In2015thefirmbegan
placingtheirheadsontorsoswithgesturalarmsandhands;andplansareunderway
tocreaterobotswithrollingandwalkingbodiesaswell.
Thecompany’sfounder,Dr.DavidHanson,hasarticulatedavisionofcreatinga
betterfutureforhumanitybyinfusingartificialintelligencewithkindnessand
compassion,achievedthroughmillionsofinteractionsbetweentheirrobotsandthe
peoplewhoselivestheytouch.Hishopeisthathisfirm’sintelligentrobotswill
cometotrulyunderstandandcareaboutpeopleandevolvegreater-than-human
wisdom,tothepointthattheywillonedaybeabletoaddressandsolvesomeofthe
mostchallengingproblemsweface.
Since2014HansonRoboticshasbeenworkingwithBenGoertzelandother
membersoftheOpenCogteam,toenhancethecognitive,emotionalandethical
capabilitiesoftheirrobotsviaintegrationofOpenCogwithHansonRobotics
hardwareandsoftware.Whilestillatthepre-productR&Dstage,thisworkhas
alreadyborneinterestingscientificfruitandappearsextremelypromising.
Anoteonmachineconsciousness
Asaparentheticalcomment,wenotethatwhetherasystemlikeOpenCog“really
feels”theemotionsthatitdynamicallyemulatesisacomplexandcontroversial
philosophicalquestiononwhichexpertsdisagree.Weconsiderthecurrent
proposedworktobevaluableindependentlyofthisquestion,however.
IfOpenCogdoes“reallyfeel,”thenweareexploringthecreationofasystemthathas
beneficialinteractionswithhumans,andthatgenuinelyexperienceslovetoward
humans.Ontheotherhand,iftheskepticsofmachineconsciousnessarerightand
OpenCogdoesnot“reallyfeel,”thenwearecreatingasystemthathasbeneficial
interactionswithhumans,andthatconstitutesasolidcognitivemodelofhuman
emotionalexperience.Eitheroftheseoutcomeswilladvanceknowledgeandhelp
humanity.
Asoneexamplepotentiality,ifitisthecasethatquantumcomputingisrequiredfor
implementingmachinesthat“reallyfeel”,thenourworkherewiththeclassicalcomputing-basedOpenCogsystemmaystillteachusagreatdealabouthowtobuild
LOVINGAIsbasedonfuturequantum-computing-basedOpenCogsystems,orother
futurequantum-computing-basedAIsystems.
ProposedAIandPersonalityAuthoringWork
WhatweproposehereistocreateaversionoftheOpenCogsystemthat
1. IsabletocontrolaphysicalHansonrobothead/torso,andalsoananimated
avatarversion
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2. Hastheparametersofitsinternalemotionmodeltunedsothatitdisplays
and“experiences”strongpositivefeelingstowardhumanbeings(aswellas
towarditself)
3. Issupplied(viaacombinationofprogrammingandteaching)with
conversationalcontentthatallowsittointeractverballyandnonverbally
withhumanbeingsinanemotionallypositiveway(tohavepositivelyorientedconversations)
4. Ismotivatedandcapableofestimating(viaacombinationofprogramming
andteaching)thehighestgoodforeachindividualwithwhomitinteracts,
andactstowardthathighestgood.
Thiswillcompriseopen-source“LOVINGAI”softwarethatwillbemadefreely
availableontheInternetandthatwillbedownloadableandrunnableonavarietyof
robotsoravatars,thoughinitialworkwillinvolvetheHansonRoboticsrobotsand
avatars.Whileitwillberelativelysimpleatfirst,itwillserveasaplatformon
whichmoreadvancedLOVINGAIsoftwarecanbebased.
Deliverables
Theproposedworkwillresultinthreemajordeliverables.
1)Weplantodelivera“LOVINGAIpersonalityfile”designedtoworkwiththe
OpenCogAIsystem,causingtheOpenCogsystemtocontrolananimatedhumanoid
avataroraphysicalhumanoidrobot(initiallyaheadandtorso),insuchawaythat
thehumanoidentityinteractswithhumanbeingsinahighlylovingandpositive
way,viaacombinationofverbalandnonverbalinteractions.I.e.thisAIpersonality
filewilltransformtheOpenCogAIsystemandasuitableembodimentintoaLOVING
AI.
2)Wewillprovidetechnicalreportsummarizingscientificworkdoneevaluatingthe
impactofinteractionwiththeLOVINGAIdescribedabove.Thisreportwillbe
suitabletoserveasthecoreofascientificpapertobesubmittedtoamajorpeerreviewedjournal.
ProposedScientificAnalysis
ToexplorethehypothesisthatinteractingwithLOVINGAIswillhaveabeneficial
effectonhumans,weproposetocarryoutasimpleplacebo-controlledstudyusing
theLOVINGAIpersonalityfile(Deliverable1,above).Thepurposeofthestudywill
betomeasuretherelativepsychologicalimpactexperiencedbypeople,upon
interactionwiththeLOVINGAIwecreate.
ExperimentalDesign
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Wewilluseadouble-blindcrossoverdesigntocomparetheexperienceoftalking
withtheLOVINGAItotheexperienceoftalkingwiththesamerobotandOpenCog
systembutwithouttheLOVINGAIpersonalityfile(e.g.,non-LOVINGAI).The
experienceoftheparticipantswillbescoredusingthreequestionnairesandasingle
standalonequestion,whichwillbegiventotheparticipantsbeforeandaftereach
exposure:theFetzerMeaningscale,theLoveScale,theAdultSelf-Transcendence
Inventory,andthequestion,“Pleaserankonascaleof1-10yourabilitytofeel
unconditionallylovingfeelingsforyourselfandothersinthismoment.”Inaddition
totheseself-reportmeasures,anobjectivemeasureofwellbeing,heartrate
variability(HRV),willbeobtainedbeforeandaftereachexposure.
Participantsingroup1(N=20)willfirstinteractwiththeLOVINGAIandthenthe
non-LOVINGAI,andparticipantsingroup2(N=20)willexperiencetheopposite
order.ThehumanparticipantswillnotknowthattheLOVINGAIexistsorwhich
exposureistheexperimentalcondition,andtheresearcheranalyzingthedatawill
alsonotknowwhichdatawereobtainedinwhichcondition.
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