Machines and A.I., a compatible part of life.

Can a machine truly be alive? Can a computer break beyond the veil that separates it from mankind and become more than just another machine? This question I and many others have asked themselves. It is a difficult question to properly answer, simply so for the fact that no one has ever properly described and agreed upon the definition of life and what it takes to be alive or even what it means to be human. Not properly, not by any means. We have tried many times before, thought we had succeeded, but failed. This simple fact alone means that the answer is thus, unattainable. However, we can still try for something close.

As it is, a few things can be agreed upon what it means to be alive. Life has a capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding “death” (evolution). Using this simple, but for the time being effective definition, I shall lead us through this question, journeying to find a proper answer.

 

A capacity for growth. As far as anyone knows, every living thing on planet earth has grown out from its place of origin. Bacteria, plants, animals, and humans especially, have all expanded outward to environments all over the world and rooted themselves. This can even be said about machines, computers, and Artificial intelligences. There is a presence of them throughout the world, even in the most remote of places. Some areas don’t have them as widespread as others, but it’s hard to argue that they are not everywhere. Even now as you read this there must be some sort of computer near you. A smartphone, perhaps? As written by the editors of Globolization101.com(SUNY Levine institute)

“Twenty years ago, large and bulky mobile telephones were carried only by a small number of users in just a few U.S. cities. According to a 2013 International Telecoms Union (ITU) World Report, there were 6.8 billion cell phone subscriptions worldwide at the end of 2012. Global mobile cellular penetration reached 96 percent in 2012 (ICT Facts and Figures, 2013). In some developing countries, mobile phones are used by more people than the fixed line telephone network.”

  Everywhere, from the states of America all away across the world to japan And thus far, they’re the only ones that can truly “colonize” cyberspace., A.I.(artificial intelligences), computers, machines, have found a place and their only finding more and more as the world continues to evolve with their help.

 

Now, reproduction. This might be a hard sale, but I’ll try my best. Every living thing reproduces, creating offspring so that it may continue to survive as a species. This can even be said about machines and A.I. ever since the invention of interchangeable parts, machines have been made to make more of themselves with human help, but it goes further than that. There are programs that can self-replicate, such as some viruses and now even machines that’s soul drive is to make more of itself. According to phys.org and Joe Levine(professor of philosophy at the University of Massachusetts Amherst) Engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology performed an experiment in 2005 to see if they could make a self-replicating machine. The result was the MIT, Which consists of small robotic blocks which link to one another using actuated hooks. With some clever programing which made use of a few rules and guidelines for the machine to follow (which was a surprisingly short list), they succeeded. All they had to do was essentially copy a cell’s ability to correct errors in the DNA sequence. The programing for self-replicating, or “reproduction” is already here. The only thing missing is a way to apply it to advanced machines.

Functional Activity, A task or act that allows one to meet the demands of the environment and daily life. Animals seek out shelter and food so they can survive in the short term and mate so that the species as a whole may continue. Computers maintain themselves easily through their programing and are used to help make more of them. A computer is smart enough to know what it needs, and acts on it when it can. Its limited only by it’s form, really.

 Humans as a species have done the same and far beyond. Functional activity is really just another way to say “survive” which in many ways just does not apply to either humans or machines, because neither just survives. We both thrive and not entirely independently of each other. Think about it. In some ways, computers are part of us when it comes to this topic, and vice versa. Just now even, this computer fixed a wording error for me, which in my case is tantamount to my survival in this world due to my circumstances. Machines help us constantly, it’s what they were made for, and in return we keep them working. We as a species have formed a sort of symbiosis with machines and computers in order to survive. We’ve more or less changed the definition of “functional activity” when it comes to computers and us. We’re evolving together.

 

Now that you’re thinking about it, evolution is the process in which life changes and adapts to it’s environment, making itself better throughout generations. Computers are in this process and are accelerating through it at an astonishing rate. According to Moore’s law he number of transistors per square inch on Integrated circuits had doubled every year since the integrated circuit was invented (thus doubling data density). Even before the Integrated circuit(computer chip) was invented, computers have been evolving at staggering rates ever since the Z1, the first “modern” and programmable computer invented by Konrad Zuse back in 1938. The colossus, which was the first electric programmable computer was created shortly after by Tommy Flowers and unveiled in 1943. The Univac 1101, the first computer with any real memory was made within only seven years of that. The length of time it was taking to make better computers was shrinking and shrinking while the computers capabilities were growing exponentially. It’s simply clear that computers are bursting with evolutionary potential that doesn’t seem to ever really end. So, in theory, they will continue to “evolve” just like we do, only faster.

 

Can machine’s truly be alive, I don’t know, but I’ve given you the best I could for now. Our answer is certainly not easy to comprehend or even really complete. It’s full of information that is still being made, full of questions in and of itself with many ways to interpret them, things that really must make you think. The important questions tend to leave answers like that. Which is why, as a species we strive to answer them with our all.

It is, however, my personal belief that one day we wont be so alone in answering these questions. I like to keep hopeful thinking, that computers will answer this question for us, and then with all the rest. One day, we will know.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources:

- http://www.globalization101.org/information-technology Information Technology

- Levine, Joe. Machines making other machines: new twist on self-replication

- Moore, Gordon. Moore’s law.

- http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000984.htm When was the first computer invented?

 

Author's Note

More bloody homework.

Reviews

[Pax]

Loud applause to you. I find this piece really informative and critical about life and machine alike. There is so much that comes to mind upon reading this piece. So I’ll start my contemplation on your questions starting with:

“Can a machine truly be alive?”
Then you said on the later paragraph:
“A computer is smart enough to know what it needs, and acts on it when it can. Its limited only by its form, really.”

So I think you have answered what you just asked in the first opening line. In my perspective I believe a machine is not capable of emotions yet. Emotions like = “LOVE is too complicated and very complex to be put into a machine, so for now no mathematical algorithm can solve it all.” Then you contemplated that we don’t have a proper “definition of life and what it takes to be alive or even what it means to be human.” In that matter, definition of life or where does life begin, is a vast topic to discuss, many philosophers and scientist contemplated and even debated where life begun and how does it begin. So I will leave that to them and as so you have explained it here really well.

So in the matter on what it means to be human. As an aspiring poet, I have contemplated on what it means to be human. Being human of what we are – we commit right and wrong – doing foolish mistakes – learning, coping and understanding with our heart, with that it’s what makes us unique towards the machine. We all know the standard of right and wrong varies on how human flaw works, and also has a vast array of definition in each person’s point of view, culture and beliefs. We input the standards of right and wrong in complex algorithm, while the machine reads and execute it the way we wanted it to be. So I think the machine for now is dependent on how we created them.

And lastly in the matter what it means to be alive: you have said: “Life has a capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding “death”(evolution).” – All living organism on planet Earth have life, produces life, giving room for growth & change – it’s an evolutional process – a natural cycle of nature. So in the matter of machinery, their world revolve on us, on how we created them, how we produces their growth, for now they are totally dependent on us or the energy nature or our invention produces.

“Can a computer break beyond the veil that separates it from mankind and become more than just another machine?”

I have watch too many sci-fi in that past, and I still love it though now I choose wisely now a days. My point is that, through all those movies, I have learned something. Perhaps in the far future there will be a time that machine will have its own kind – through the help of some parts of a human mind. Perhaps a hybrid of this kind – part human, part machine. I have that imagination for the future, but that is still far, far away to happen, we will never know…

You have mention about Artificial intelligences and Self reproduction on machinery. You said: “All they had to do was essentially copy a cell’s ability to correct errors in the DNA sequence. The programing for self-replicating, or “reproduction” is already here. The only thing missing is a way to apply it to advanced machines.” – oh, really that’s a fascinating discovery, yet I am hoping it is for the good of mankind. It’s fascinating to think that our mind really do seek and goes beyond that it needed to be – that we can almost give life to a machine. I always believed that having vast intelligence comes with great responsibility. Because you need to weight which is just right from too much that becomes wrong enough to damage the natural cycle of things. You need to weight the consequences of your actions – the cause and effect. Now that I think of it, Einstein built a powerful weapon, but due to the evil deeds or war, many have died because of it, and I still do believe that we are still suffering from the consequences of its after effects – some nasty mutation of it. But in that matter it is not at all bad, it’s the people who are using it into bad deeds. I still believed that this weapon might be useful for some evil alien invasion, if there will be, we never know, the future is still and always be uncertain… we just let it be…

Artificial intelligence is good, but we as humans must not be too reliant on it. My point is that Robotics is approaching, yet we must not forget that our body needs hard work – not just laze around in our couches.

I believed that humans built machines to make work easier for us and also some added benefits health and etc. All machinery is been a part of our daily lives now, like the one you mention about smart phones and how it evolves. And you are right, machines and us – humans, We’re evolving together.

“evolution is the process in which life changes and adapts to its environment, making itself better throughout generations. Computers are in this process and are accelerating through it at an astonishing rate.”

Computers adapt to change and evolve because we do constantly used it and apply many changes to it almost every day. We pick up what was left to be discover. Our memory might not be expanding in full extent but with the help of the computer technology, the vast information we have gained are save for future used. Like the information of the cyber space keeps on expanding every day.

“Can machine’s truly be alive”

I don’t know either. But I think what it means to be alive differs on the energy we consume. The computers needs electric power to stay on – based on the invention humans created to produce electricity, while we as humans needs organic food for energy for growth and to stay alive.

So I believed that machine and humans thrives on each other’s need for survival and growth.

Your conclusion on this piece is just right and well thought out. And you are right again, someday in the future our questions will be answered in time…

Your bloody homework is truly mindful and for me thought-provoking. Science and life always do fascinates me to think many things and their connections to our daily lives.

This goes to my favorites, Brilliant Job.

[The Poet of Black Wings]

Thank you kindly. Honestly, I thought this piece was something people would just leaf over and forget about.

[Pax]

I guess that really depends on people's likes.... and i like this very much. I hope you got high remarks on this one. You are very welcome :)

[The Poet of Black Wings]

Actually, i was never told if it was any good.

[Pax]

well - you are good, your understanding it really wide... keep it up!

[The Poet of Black Wings]

Thank you.