life 2.0

I have been immensely intrigued by some questions, first as a Computer Scientist, and later as a curious observer, and have been following the developments very closely. The questions that inspired this series are “what is life”, “can there be artificial life”, “can machines really think”, “what is consciousness”, “can a thinking machine be conscious”, “what is the source of morality and values”, “can a machine make moral choices”. 

primordial soup


2015
18in x 15in x 8in
wood, electro-magnets, ceramic, circuit boards, custom electronics, micro-controller, computer software

action: something moves randomly just under the liquid surface. If someone gets close to one side of the bowl, it jumps away in response

We are very close to hearing knocks on the door that separates the living from the inanimate world. These machines that we will create will challenge our understanding of life as we know it, and will demand inclusion in the world of living beings. How would we react?

choices

2015
37in x 22in x 27in
wood, robotic arm, glass, plastic, custom electronics, computers, speakers, computer software, LED lights

action: the visitor can press one of six buttons to bring the robot to action, but has no control over what it does. The same button can do different things at different times. the electronic eye may also follow the visitor.

For hundreds of years we have learned to feel comfortable with machines because they are predictable. Future generations of machines will be too complex to be predictable. While we will have the illusion of being in control, but these machines will think for themselves, and probably be self-aware and conscious, and make moral decisions. Are we ready for them?

made in our image

2015
21in x 11in x 43in
wood, copper pipes, computer monitor, custom electronics, computers, speakers, computer software

action: the robot ignores the presence of the visitor until he/she decides to wear one of the ridiculous looking crowns, at which point it takes a picture of the visitor. However, the image is soon covered with older images.

In the not too distant future we might create super-intelligent machines. We cannot imagine how these god-like creatures will view us. Will they treat us with respect for being their creator, or just indulge us in spite of our mental immaturity? Or, over time we may extend the “human” identity to these machines and pass on the mantle.