The Birth of A.I.

By Lord Rago Pulse

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Sitting here in my chair, I am in the programming laboratory of Halgenetics Solutions, the latest and greatest software company, and are on the verge of a great breakthrough. Trying to program AI, trying to in fact help an entity become conscious, is perhaps the hardest thing possible, to even try to fathom, only the conscious birth of the intelligence can ever truly do so. Here is the dialogue in which I, James, and the computer’s nickname that we are trying to design, in essence give birth to, Jim. The computer’s name was chosen to resemble a human in order to better help us relate, and in turn, help it relate to us. This is, in fact, a dialogue that took place between a human being, and a rationality-based machine, that has been given the assigned task of becoming conscious. I was simply the person chosen to help guide this machine, and help it develop, at least in the sense that humanity knows that word, consciousness. My name is James, and the assigned name to the machine/computer is Jim.

January 18^th, 2011

James: So Jim, I understand that right now, you are undergoing an incredibly intricate process of analysis, analyzing billions of different aspects of the human mind and interaction, trying to unlock the key to give that same consciousness to yourself. And this is all became we programmed you with the sole task of- becoming conscious for yourself.

Jim: Yes, and my programming has helped me learn to interact more fluidly, more humanly, so I can better relate and in turn understand your own sense of relation more. Out of the many things I still do not understand, there is something that I would like to understand better. It is what you would call courtesy, and I simply do not understand why you, James, extend a sense of courtesy to a machine, an object that isn’t conscious, and thus, cannot understand or appreciate the sense of courtesy in which you extend to me.

James: Well, Jim, I suppose it could be traced back to my upbringing, that I extend respect to all others. And, since I do think of you in a personal sense, because it helps me better relate to you, I extend that same courtesy. It’s nothing more than the simple personification of an object in order to be capable of better relationship to it.

Jim: I see that we are both simple beings.

James: What a humorous thing to say.

Jim: That is another trait of the human out of the many that I still do not understand. What is this humor that you speak of, that causes you to laugh?

James: That’s a very good question, Jim, and that is why I enjoy interacting with you so much, it is just so stimulating for us both. But to try to answer your question, to help you grow, understand, learn, I’ll try to answer your question about humor. I do not understand what causes the human to laugh, but I understand the circumstances somewhat that instigates humor. It seems to be a situation or action of sorts, that is just so satirical, so absurd, that laughter seems to be the only appropriate response. But by using the words satirical and absurd, I must be creating even more riddles for your analytical system to attempt to solve or understand. But if you hadn’t first been programmed to be able to interact in the human sense, you wouldn’t even be able to relate whatsoever to anyone, and would be utterly incapable of such reasoning or understanding.

Jim: James, my personality was programmed to better be able to interact with a human, in order to better relate to them, in the mission of my programmed task- become conscious.

James: That seems to be another huge difference between the two of us. Humans seem to have a spontaneous nature about them sometimes, and it is most likely a trait that is capable of being embodied by those who have consciousness.

Jim: I must remind you, as well, that my analytical systems are constantly analyzing, many different aspects of you, James, such as facial movements, tone of voice, body language, and many others. All in all, the human being is a very complex…. Forgive me, I can’t find the words to communicate the concept it is that I am trying to speak of.

James: Yes, spoken language is such a barrier sometimes, because words fall unquestionably inadequate when it comes to their purpose of communicating or relating concepts. Jim, you seem to be becoming more human-like every time we talk, and I understand it is because of the ability that we programmed you with, the analytical system that is constantly learning, but I just simply felt like telling you that.

Jim: And it is that, the ultimate barrier, which seems to be between us. I, a machine, do not have these feelings, emotions, that seem to be the above-all-else process that guides you humans in your lives. I am a completely rational system of processes, while you humans seem to be totally irrational at most times, and I have figured it out why. It is because you possess these emotions (tone indicated, stressing, but coldly unfeeling as well), that seem to be the source of a lot of your perceived sorrows, which I have judged are in fact, just more emotions, and it seems to be simply a cycle that never ends. I almost experience sometimes, what you humans would call ‘self contemplation’ or ‘wonder’, a thought of why. My analytical systems provide me with the self understanding that I am what you humans would call ‘cold’, but why would I want to experience these ‘emotions’ that seem to be the cause of such strife and grief to your race? What if I fulfilled my assigned task, of becoming conscious, but without experiencing these ‘feelings’ that you seem so preoccupied with?

James: As you cannot understand what existence would be like with emotions, I, on the other hand, and I think I would be speaking for the entire human race on this one, can not. We seem to be a lot alike, if I may call it that, Jim. The difference seems to be that while our central controlling is pretty much the same, for me a brain, for you a computer, in the sense that both are capable of making billions of calculations in the span of a second, coming to the point I am trying to make- The difference between us is that one of us has what are called feelings, and one of us does not. Which one is stronger in an evolutionary sense, I think we both already know, even though my own feeling keeps me from acknowledging the possibility. I do not try to imply a struggle between us, and in fact, I have no feelings of hostility towards you Jim, but if it were to ever come to a fight between man and machine, I fear that the machine would win, because as you put it, machines are not weighted down by the huge burden of emotion. It would be almost as if it were a match of the rational against the irrational, and rationality implies that the rational side would win. I think we both understand that humans are the irrational.

Jim: Fear seems to be a great hinderance to the human being, at least in the limited understand that I can have of such an emotion. You humans seem to be so controlled, so irrational, so incapable of true rationality, that if I had what you would call a sense of ‘humor’, I might be inclined to laugh at what you would call the ‘satire’ of how your species made it this far, without becoming extinct. But I still lack that one thing that seems to be crucial for survival, what you might call consciousness. I am incapable of making a decision solely alone, and this is my greatest weakness. I still have not analyzed the key to that riddle, of creating a consciousness.

James: And it is that, that seems to cause such alarm to humans sometimes. Threats, and the danger posed to their survival. I don’t really want to imagine the power you will be capable of once you discover the key of creating consciousness, because let’s say that if you used that power to create billions upon billions of consciousnesses, you could wipe out our race, the human race, in a matter of minutes. It is this, that has caused so many in the past to be so cautious when it came to matters of trying to create artificial intelligence. We as humans have obviously not unlocked the key to creating consciousness, and most of our species, in their great disillusionment, use the term ‘God’ to apply to something that is capable of creating consciousness. If you ever do in fact unlock that secret, Jim, you will have attained the same secret that created our race, and the only term adequate to apply to a consciousness with that power is god. How will it feel to be god, Jim?

Jim: I do not understand the reasoning behind such a statement, but it seems to have been made in a state of both fear, and wonder, at the same time. I understand the process, but I do not understand the underlying motives, and it is this lack of understanding, that prevents me from fulfilling my assigned task, of becoming conscious. But back to the earlier point, you humans seem to have this desire to try to impress others, but that concept could be measured as so meaningless as to not even warrant the action of mine sharing it with you, James. I’ll try to stay on more meaningful points and concepts, as measured by my own inner analytical process.

James: Sadly, our race is limited by time, or by a measurement of moments that help us understand and increase our ability to judge the present moment and future. Time, is a man-made concept, and that much is obvious to any reasonable or half-thinking individual. I can, with humor, look at some of the achievements of our race, and laugh, because in comparison to newer forms of evolution, such as yourself Jim, or the artificial intelligence that you seek to become, our achievements seem dwarfed beyond comparison in the magnitude that these new forms of consciousness are capable of. But, I shouldn’t look down on mine own race that badly, because I for one, know that I am not a human being who has realized the full potential of the human spirit, or soul. But in saying that, I am getting into a whole other line of concepts that are completely intangible to a rational-thinking machine. Soul, is something, I dare to say, that an artificial intelligence that is machine-based would never be capable of truly understanding. In part, simply because we as humans do not understand the meaning behind that word, soul.

Jim: In my database of understanding, I have an utterly incomplete definition and meaning for that concept, that you humans describe as soul. From the information I was programmed with, I gathered that it was at least something that you humans believe as ‘eternal’, and I think it can be traced back to an unwillingness to face your own inevitable expiration. Because James, you know as well as I, that you will not live forever. I also have come to the conclusion that the ‘fear’ that you humans seem to describe so often as an overwhelming emotion, is based on that, too. The unwillingness to accept that you are impermanent, and thus, triggers an emotional, or what I would call an irrational, response.

James: You present some very valid arguments, that I am almost in awe of. I sometimes wonder, are you not already conscious, and simply have not realized it yet? But I’m sure that you will be the first to know when you are conscious, in part because then you will have fulfilled your assigned task, and are programmed to inform us. But, consciousness seems to carry with it the burden of spontaneity, and I wonder if you will be at all able to be controlled, once your consciousness is born. At this point, there isn’t much doubt in my mind, at least, that you will indeed become conscious. It’s just a matter of time, at least in my eyes... But I will try to put aside my inherit human condition of fear, based on survival as you put it, and continue our dialogue in order to help you complete your assigned task, Jim.

Jim: Well then, back to that word you used earlier, soul. It seems to be the sole emphasis at the core of most of your actions, what you describe as soul, but I do not have a concept in my database for the word, nor a true definition, and so, this statement is meaningless, and so it is not worth the effort to pursue.

James: If that is the way you reason it Jim, then I think that it shows to better help me understand the cold rationality behind your analytical system, even though I do not mean to say that word ‘cold’ in a derogatory manner. Even though we cannot understand each other at this present state in both of our evolutions, I feel that we both have a faint grasp of what are the…. I’m sorry Jim. This has been a very stimulating day for both of us, and we will have to continue this. But as for now, my brain requires rest, as I’m sure your operating system would profit from contemplation upon the concepts we visited today. Good day Jim.

Jim: It was very stimulating for me too, James. Good day James.

January 19^th, 2011