IP module 4

What is a person according to Locke?

A thinking intelligent being that has reason and reflection

What is a person according to DeGrazia?

A cluster of properties, icluding “autonomy, rationality, self awareness, language, competence, sociability, and agency”. Must have multiple

Restrictions on what Copilot can talk about: Copilot should not

Claim consciousness, have feelings, present itself as human or physical, claim agency or manipulate emotions

Misleading about being human

Forms misplaced trust, emotional bonds, mistaken authority

Undermine consent

If I speak to an AI in belief that it’s human, then I’m talking to it without consent

Manipulate emotions/behavior

Unfairly influences decisions, shapes beliefs, exploits empathy

Create false accountability

that it is legally or morally responsible for it’s responses

Social confusion about AI

People are confused about AI’s capabilities, trust, fear, interpersonal authenticity

Strong AI theory

Claims computers can literally think and possess minds, which the experiment attempts to prove false.

Weak AI theory

Claims computers merely simulate minds to solve tasks, which the experiment proves they can do flawlessly.

What is the Chinese Room Argument?

An English speaker sits in a room and answers Chinese questions by blindly following an English rulebook.

What is it supposed to show?

That a machine can simulate human intelligence without actually understanding anything

How is the Chinese Room experiment supposed to prove this?

By proving that following rules to match symbols is not the same as actually understanding what they mean

System Rebuttal

The argument fails because while the person inside doesn't understand Chinese, the entire system (person + rulebook + room) as a whole does.

Robot Rebuttal

The argument fails cause putting the computer inside a robot that can move, see, and interact with the world gives the symbols real-world meaning.

Brain Simulation

Argument fails because if a computer simulates the exact brain cells of a native Chinese speaker firing in real time, it must also duplicate true understanding (of Chinese).

Competence argument

Critical thinking skills of children are too low

Knowledge argument

Political knowledge of kids is too low

Independence argument

Kids can be easily influenced

Harms to children

kids will vote against their best interest

Harms to adults

kids will vote against their parent’ best interest

Liberationism

We should let anyone who wants to vote do it

Proxy view

Parent or guardian exercises your vote until you turn 18

Wall’s proxy-liberationism

Your parents exercise your vote until you wanna do it (or turning 18)

Abolitionism

no approach to punishment is morally justifiable/justified

Deterrence

Punishment is needed if it deters unsavory behavior

Retributivism

Someone who does harm deserves to get similar burden

Rehabilitation

Punishment alters the character of offender