Robots that Lust and Reproduce

redcone writes "The Guardian unlimited is reporting that Korean roboticist Kim Jong-Hwan, who founded the robot football (soccer) World Cup, and is the director of the ITRC-Intelligent Robot Research Centre, has developed a series of artificial chromosomes that, he says, will allow robots to feel lusty, and could eventually lead to them reproducing."

Comments

Sound-Proofing

[fembots]

I guess it's time to stock up those sound-proofing materials, I can't stand metal-grinding noise.

Seriously though, what is the incentive for robots to reproduce? If they're so smart, they would've realized that they can simply upgrade or replace parts. They might enjoying sexing, but certainly not reproducing.

Re:Sound-Proofing

[ichimunki]

Sexual reproduction does more than simply perpetuate a species, it also offers genetic material an opportunity to mutate and to mix things up with compatible sets of genetic material. I don't think the robots as machines really need this as much as the software components of the robots would perhaps benefit from it... but then the software doesn't really need a robot to exist, any CPU with cycles would do.

Re:Sound-Proofing

[dark_requiem]

From the article:

He says the software, which will be installed in a robot within the next three months, will give the machines the ability to feel, reason and desire.

...

Kim says this software is modelled on human DNA, though equivalent to a single strand of genetic code rather than the complex double helix of a real chromosome.

Based on that, it is apparent that this guy is talking about some kind of very primitive AI with a simple level of sentience, based on a genetic algorithm. If this guy isn't nuts, he appears to be talking about creating the first "real" AI, albeit a very primitive one. If he's really managed to model the simple functioning of a simple chromosome, the he would have produced something that could evolve and advance as biological DNA does. If it achieved a decent level of self-awareness and intelligence, it might see fit to have more of its kind, for a variety of reasons. Just how randy it would get, I couldn't say. I can't imagine that it was meant to imply reproduction in the sexual sense, for obvious reasons.

If this is indeed the case, and he pulls it off, it would be time to start talking seriously about the rights of an artificially created sentient being. I don't think there's any truly "safe" way we could create a sentient being and treat it as simple property and not expect it to one day try to free itself.

There's also the possiblity that the guy's either unsuccessful or just a little unhinged, but we'll see, I suppose...

Re:More Seriously

[joto]

Well, creating "lust" in an AI is certainly a worthwile goal. Most of human behaviour is governed by "lust". E.g. we are curious because we get satisfaction from learning new things. We are nice to each other because we get satisfaction from gratitude. And some people (e.g. Freud) seem to think most of this is connected to our lust to fuck someone.

But then again, creating "lust" in an AI might be a bit harder than increasing the value of some evaluation function. But then again, maybe it isn't? If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, even reasons like a duck, is it then a duck?

If AI can be achieved simply by mimicking our own behaviour, it can actually be bad news. That means it might not be possible to create some simple reasoning engine. We actually have to work our way in increasingly complicated models, untill we no longer can tell the difference between it, and ourselves (or some other intelligent being). This could easily take thousands of years...

The fast way could possibly be uploading...

Re:Are human desires appropriate for a machine?

[Sloppy]

But what need for love would an intelligent probe need out around Saturn?

What need? It sounds like you're looking at things from the robots' point of view.

But you know better...

Humans have emotions such as love to ensure we care for our young and parters - love has had positive selection along evolution.

Or more accurately, genes program animals to feel lust in order to spread themselves. Lust isn't for the benefit of the entity feeling it. It's for the benefit of the entity that created the luster.

So the question isn't what need does the robot have for this, but what need do I have for inflicting lust upon the robot? And the answer is: I want my Saturn-orbiting robot to sing songs about how lonely it is!

Then I want it to notice that I put it into a slightly decaying orbit and for it to realize it doesn't have enough propellant to correct the situation. And write songs about its inevitable mortality.

Then I want it to realize that it's my fault the robot it is experiencing these things, and sing angry songs about "the robot condition" and how cruel Go^H^H I was, to engineer such circumstances. I want it to sing about its vengeful fantasies, such as what it would do it if were in orbit around Earth with knowledge of my coordinates and control of a nuclear-tipped missile.

A lusty robot is an automatic art generator.

And the ultimate illusion: the Saturn orbit and existence as a space probe, were just a simulation. My little singing robot is just a python script who has no idea where or what he really is. Muahahahahah!!! And the songs he sings, are really just output to files, which I will fraudulently claim credit for. So much suffering, so much profit!

You're all looking at it the wrong way.

[sail4evr]

Everyone is thinkng about r2d2 wanting sex. That's pretty rediculous. We should be thinking about David in A.I. Artificial Intelligence. When David grows up and becomes lustful, without the 3 Robotic Laws, what will hold him back from taking what he wants, man or woman? That's the con side. On the pro side he won't suffer the ravages of age