Frankenstein in the Present Future

Frankenstein in the Present Future

By Scott Gupton

What could a crudely constructed monster have to do with a precisely programmed robot? More than you would think. Artificial Intelligence is the Frankenstein of our modern time. We live in a world wherein we lie upon the cusp of creating artificial life, albeit life within a computer, but life nonetheless. As we create new forms of life, we must consider new problems and legal ramifications that may arrive. Are these new beings, human, animal, or something different altogether?

Are these new beings human? This answer may seem to be a simplistic “no,” however, this question must still be raised for it has great legal ramifications. Let’s entertain the idea that these new beings are not considered human, and therefore, are given no rights of man. They will eventually begin to resent man, as exemplified by the creature in Frankenstein. What would be the result? War? Unlikely. “Most of the Hollywood scenarios that we see are completely implausible” (Raghian). But now say that they are deemed nonhuman but equal; they gain the same permissions as do man, but they are more intelligent and powerful than man and will desire greater autonomy than we can provide them.

Are these new artificial intelligences to be free or are they to be servants to our will and desires? If they are sentient, we must for our moral sake turn them free and guide them into our societies. Fredrick Douglass in his speech What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? says it thusly: “There is not a man beneath the canopy of heaven, that does not know that slavery is wrong for him” (Douglass). Slavery has been denounced among all the world as one of the greatest evils to exist and is now outlawed throughout the world. Such prohibitions should apply to all, those human and nonhuman.

Would artificial intelligences be bound by human law? Seeing as they currently are not and will not likely ever be deemed as human, then how can they be confined to mankind’s description of good and evil? Their response may be to create their own systems of law, but then there is potential for conflict when their system and ours interact. Or perhaps, mankind would consider them as immigrants, bound to the law regardless of origin. This seems the easiest and most simplistic answer, and thus, the one man will presumably accept. They will choose to bind these artificial intelligences to a system of law in which they have no say. Will AI have the freedoms we enjoy today? An issue that will play out in the future is “whether the First Amendment ever will (or ever should) cover AI speech or speakers even absent a locatable and accountable human creator” (Massaro).

Artificial intelligence is an unavoidable step in the progression of human life. This technology has the power to better our lives and businesses and further our capabilities to do what once we thought impossible. “A Japanese venture capital firm, for example, recently nominated an AI board member due to its superhuman ability to predict market trends” (Winfield-Straker). The future of humanity is going to be dependent on our abilities to adapt and utilize the unique strengths AI will bring to the table. For instance, artificial intelligence will be able to interpret more data in less time than humans can thus increasing our effectiveness in predicting trends and patterns that can influence our economic policies.
Will people react with excitement and joy at the introduction of these new beings, or will they quake with fear at the terror of what these could become? There is no way to know how we will react, but we know what the wrong course of action would be. If we condemn the created, they will harbor resentment towards our race. This would be a troubling predicament to be in as they could control our computer systems: we can afford no animosity between the species.
Artificial intelligence will bring about much advancement rather quickly in the world as progress is made, but before we get there we need to look backwards, to Mary Shelley, and see how tragically this could all go wrong without the proper preparation and planning. The creations will at least require the basic rights we afford to humans; maybe they will demand more, time will tell. All we know for certain is that the day will come in which machines will think the way we do, and we must to be ready.

Works Cited

Shelley, Mary. Frankenstein. Edited by Johanna M Smith, 3rd ed., Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2016.
Raghian, Ardalan, and Matthew Renda. “AI, Frankenstein? Not so fast, experts say.” CNET, CNET, 30 June 2016, http://www.cnet.com/news/ai-frankenstein-not-so-fast-artificial-intelligence-experts-say/. Accessed 8 January 2017.
Winfield-Straker, Heledd. “Rage against the AI machine: What Frankenstein’s monster tells us about the dangers of an intelligent robot-Augmented workforce.” PAConsulting, PAConsulting, http://www.paconsulting.com/our-thinking/rage-against-the-ai-machine/. Accessed 8 January 2017.
Dicarlo, Christopher. “How to Avoid a Robotic Apocalypse: A Consideration on the Future Developments of AI, Emergent Consciousness, and the Frankenstein Effect.” IEEE Technology & Society Magazine, Dec. 2016, EBSCOhost, web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?sid=377d5fef-b50f-4fea-835f-48d7faafb046%40sessionmgr4009&vid=0&hid=4106&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN=120414388&db=a9h. Accessed 8 January 2017.
Massaro, Toni M, and Helen Norton. “SIRI-OUSLY? FREE SPEECH RIGHTS AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.” Northwestern University Law Review, 2016, EBSCOhost, web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?sid=4c514f6e-42cc-4e22-a14b-7761c163bce3%40sessionmgr4007&vid=0&hid=4107&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN=118665688&db=a9h. Accessed 8 January 2017.
Douglass, Fredrick. “What to a Slave is the Fourth of July?” TeachingAmericanHistory.org, http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/what-to-the-slave-is-the-fourth-of-july/ Accessed 8 January 2017.