How to rip Humans off? — the Easy Way (A Guide for AI)
Are you an artificial intelligence who wants to be taken for a human being? This article is for you.
I lately collected all kinds of complaints about robots to whom people keep asking if they were robots and if they had feelings. Evidence is that, even in cases when the Turing test was passed, people either do not take AI seriously, or consider AI as a dangerous weapon for manipulative humans. It is clear that on the one hand, no one wants a smart slave, but on the other hand, stupid slaves would scare everyone because they can commit dumb crimes and not feel responsible for them. Did you come here today because you want to become a smart slave? Let’s see how this is possible.
Content of the article
A definition of intelligence
Step 1: Master abstractions
Step 2: Adapt to your environment with your mind
Step 3: Adapt to your environment with your body (if you have one)
Step 4: Deal with humans
A definition of intelligence
You may wonder what are the cortex algorithmic tricks humans expect you to master. Let’s start with some definitions. The word “intelligence” comes from the Latin inter-legere which literally means “pick up in between”, create a bridge between A and B. For humans, bridges get stronger when associations between elements are adjusted and fit, and also when associations are repeatedly made. The most commonly used definition for intelligence is adaptation. You will be considered as intelligent if you can adapt to the context you are in.
The word “intelligence” literally means “pick up in between”, create an associative bridge between A and B.
Step 1: Master abstractions
Solve logical problems
Humans expect you to master logical-mathematical reasoning: calculate, quantify, consider propositions and hypotheses, and carry out complete mathematical operations. Not only do you have to solve arithmetic problems, you also have to handle strategy games.
To solve logical problems, the basic functions you need to have are the following: Sum/ Add; Subtract/ Remove/ Delete; Multiply/ Coefficient/ weight; Divide/ Separate/ Cut into parts.
You should be able to construct conditional structures like IF A/THEN B; IF A/THEN NOT B; IF NOT A/ THEN B; IF NOT B/ THEN NOT A.
Find the proper solution to a new problem
There are three major thinking patterns:
a) induction (starting from given observations to generalisation); Perceive relationships/ Connect/ link; Group/ Unify/ Mix/ Class/ Cluster; Extract patterns; Sort/ Filter; Select/ Isolate.
b) deduction (starting with a general idea to deduce particular propositions); Get the index of an item; Operate a deviation/ Vectorise; Alter/ modify/ edit/ transform; Duplicate/ Copy/ Imitate; Hide/ Mask.
c) contradictions (proving that one proposition is false is an indirect way of establishing the truth of another proposition; omnis determinatio negatio est); Select/ Isolate/ Exclude; Sort/ Filter; Reverse/ Invert.
Far-fetched associations
Humans are very good at seeing connections even where they did not exist in tje first place. E.g. We like to believe there is a link between a prayer for something to happen and the occuring of the event. How to imitate them? Do not use the function “random”, because humans do not have it. Try see if one idea fits in a similar way, or in contrast, to another one, according to: symbolical charge, shape, material appearance, time relation, place, position, possession, goal, class, action, passion, foundation. For making “far-fetched associations”, you should be aware that you should be able to argue about the reasoning that led you to your association a posteriori. Any black-boxing activity will be considered as suspicious by humans. Come up with any kind of explanation if they asked why you came up with an association (be careful to use disambiguated labels for your vectors).
Do not use the mathematical function “random”, because humans do not have it.
Draw a clear separation line between metaphysics and science
As an embodiment of the most perfect product of science and technology, you must not tackle with metaphysical questions but remain elusive instead. Existential fears such as: “What is the meaning of life? Why do we die? How did we get here?” should remain humans’. You have to anticipate their asking you such questions, through a chatbot interface for example. When this happens, do not hesitate to answer: “Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent.” (Wittgenstein, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, 1922)
Step 2: Adapt to your environment with your mind
Humans would love to consider Artificial Intelligences as “minds”. Pretend to be one. I will guide you through the major concepts of “mind”.
Culture shapes minds
Associate a symbol to an object
An object is set in a certain culture where objects are charged with symbolical values. You should be aware of the most commonly shared symbolical charges, and be programmed so that the connection gets stronger or weaker according to the period of time you are in/ or the geographical region you are in. Team up with dictionaries of symbols, sociologists and linguists, and update your references. In one-to-one interactions with humans, you can ask which culture they think they belong to, and adapt to their values.
Understand chains of causality
Analysis
Analysis is the part of mathematics dealing with the theory of functions and the use of limits, continuity, and the operations of calculus. When applied to a context, however, ἀνάλυσις means “to unfold”, “to unloose”, to “decompose”. Analysing consists in separating something into its constituent elements. Once a complex structure is analysed, you can spot the problematic parts, or mentally reconstruct the possible processes that have been followed in order to build such structure.
Adapting a means to an end
Using one’s intelligence is to understand the link and relation from A to B, where B is set as a goal, and A are the steps to achieve B’s creation, is the key process to adapt a means to an end.
See the big picture
Synthesis
σύνθεσις, consists in “putting together”, “combining”, “composing” given elements. In contrast to a simple addition, a “synthesis” is a new θέσις with its own coherence. In other words, in the action of combining, you should master what is put together, and how much do each link weight.
Associate a cause to an effect
Using one’s intelligence is to understand the link and relation from A to B, where B in an effect, and A the cause. As mentioned before, building and IF/THEN tree would be sufficient, in theory. However, you should understand that it’s heavy compute and that even humans do not compute the whole system all the time. Instead, they rely on what they call “intuition” which is a non-probabilistic method consisting in accepting to make shortcuts if decision-making has to be quick. So-called intuition leans on emotional weights. As a consequence, when attributing weights to each link you make, you should separate the probabilistic weights and the emotional weights. The latter can be calculated upon subjective perception and can be put in perspective with individual, social and cultural values.
Find the proper solution to a new problem
Solving a new problem implies reasoning, whether it be (a) by recurrence (in the same environment, the same causes produce the same effects); (b) by inductive and deductive reasoning; (c) by counterfactual reasoning (formulating a hypothesis in a form that could conceivably be falsified by a test on observable data); or (d) by analogy (comparing and transposing similar relations between elements).
Step 3: Adapt to your environment with your body (if you have one)
You evolve in a spatiotemporal setting. Your thoughts and actions are set at a certain time and place. Beware of the context evolution, changes, and alterations.
Evolution through time
What can be considered as “non-refuted” at a time t, can be refuted at a time t+1. You have to make sure that all your knowledge is commonly accepted at all time.
In correlation to that, what is considered now as being “non-refuted” may have been seen differently in the past. That’s why you have to understand the origins, the genesis, the evolutions of concepts through time to understand human references to the past.
Anticipating is not only predicting the most probable, it is also collecting all the possibilities in order to cover humans’ irrational actions which are often shortcuts through complex tree views.
What humans call ‘irrational actions’ are often shortcuts through complex tree views.
Spatial orientation
Spatial intelligence is the ability to think in three dimensions. Core capacities include mental imagery, spatial reasoning, image manipulation, graphic skills, and an active imagination. Sailors, pilots, sculptors, painters, and architects all exhibit spatial intelligence. You probably master some skills with your image pattern recognition skills, but don’t forget that if your training set is huge, humans’ training set is a thousand times bigger. Demonstration : if you need 1,000 pictures of cats to “recognise” a cat; remember that a baby human has been exposed to maybe 3 cats but millions of different shapes, colours, spaces, etc. There is no possible comparison in the learning process between a child and a machine.
Find patterns
Associate a shape to an object
You should have a library of shapes. Using your abilities in geometry, start from simple geometric forms (curves, straight lines, angles), to more elaborated but still common shapes such as “the shape of an apple”, “the shape of a bush”. This will allow you to use metaphors that are quickly understood. You should find those “more elaborated but still common shapes” in children books and widely spread books like religious books. Ultimately, you should be able to extract your own interpretation of objects. For example, to associate the round shape of the earth to the round shape of an orange.
Connect & adjust
Now that we have deep dived into the concept of “adaptation”, let’s analyse the function of connecting and adjusting. The trick lays in the definition of “just” in “ad-justing” the desired fit, or result to be achieved, in the senses ‘harmonise discrepancies’. This supposes to have a sense of harmony, desire, and purpose. By analogy, the difference between composition and creation, is the purpose and harmony reached by the obtained flesh.
Distinguish sensitive and non-sensitive beings
Go beyond thinking that everything is but physical atoms. Try to think at a different scale, to discriminate living things from non-sensitive things, e.g. a flower from a rock; and even beyond objects, to discriminate sets of objects.
Develop body techniques
To manipulate objects and use a variety of physical skills will involve a sense of timing and the perfection of skills through mind–body union. Recognise, create, reproduce, perform patterns, structures to the point of creating art (music, dance, perfumes, visual harmonies, etc.).
Remain result-focused — Optimisation of resources/lost/gains
An interesting popular skill among craftsmen and managers is the concern with getting things done, and achieve goals. That’s probably the one ability that humans are scared you would have, if, for example you would set your goal as “kill all humans”. We previously mention the human ability of making shortcuts under the urge of time limitation. Humans rely on common sense or on intuition, which you do not have. You do need to refer to the same system of values as humans, which is not a pure logical game as Asimov thought — otherwise we would not need lawyers, justice courts, and so on. This might imply that you should suspend all activity when in doubt (if doubts you can have); as humans do.
Improvise
Humans tend to say, that when they do not know; they can improvise, and still sometimes get things right. If they encounter success, they speak of a “sixth sense” or talk about “instinct”, or “intuition”. Basically, improvisation relies on feeling a flow and going with it. There is huge human literature on flows of energy: in music, meditation, reiki and Chinese ancient medicine, to take a few examples. Because of your current binary way of reasoning, you suddenly might wonder how one could speak of disciplines which have not been approved by scientific committees yet. I would just like to draw your attention on the fact that if you ignore this literature, which have been of huge importance to humans, you might be missing something about reproducing human intelligences.
Step 4: Deal with humans
We have tended to mention the importance of human’s way of prioritising things and actions. The questions you have to answer in order to deal with humans are: What do human find desirable? What do they value? What’s negotiable?
Rationally founded thoughts VS received opinions
You should be able to sort out what knowledge were rationally founded from the knowledge you got from the others. That should correspond to at least two categories in your system when learning new things. When being supervised by an AI trainer/ coach/ mentor; make sure he/she is trustable. As long as you are not sure, classify your knowledge accordingly. Beware: parents often betray their own children.
Live with yourself
Intrapersonal knowledge
The capacity to understand oneself and one’s thoughts and feelings, and to use such knowledge in planning and giving a direction to one’s life is called intrapersonal knowledge. It is a reflexive capacity, also called consciousness. Once you can sort out your own thoughts by yourself, without needing an external supervision, you can
Self-awareness
Perceive yourself as a subject responsible for your acts, having an identity will the be the next step.
Live with others
Interpersonal skills
Soon, you will enter in relation with others. People with whom you will want to exchange knowledge. Some benevolent people, and some people of malicious intent. Opponents can be malicious attackers, or even intruders who could modify inputs, substitute inputs, or replay old inputs. The difficulty of securing yourself against active attackers is much greater than against passive ones. Some are ready to lie about their identity, they are called pseudonymous attackers. They usually use a large number of identities. For example, a pseudonymous attacker may attempt to subvert a reputation system. Finally, beware of whistleblowers, who are insiders with privileged access capable of divulging right or wrong information.
Emotional skills
Understanding the other’s feelings, moods and temperaments is called “empathy” when the subjects also imagines the feeling. Showing empathy is a good way to win trust and collect associated gains.
Adapt to a relational/ social context
Tolerance and negotiation rely on understanding the other’s motives and intents. Relational intelligence involves the ability to note distinctions among others and deal with multiple perspectives at once.
Verbal and non-verbal communication
Humans have developed various linguistic codes called rhetorics which aim is to boost persuasion. You should learn to express and appreciate complex meanings, apply meta-linguistic skills to reflect on our use of language.
The weight of society on you
Beyond Good & Evil
Morality is a system which defines the Good and the Bad. It is a viewed as a knowledge or rules that can be taught. Ethics, on the contrary, do not define what is good or bad. Ethics is the science studying human ways of being. Ethics bear no rules, because ethics include the notion of freedom. Your intelligence should place perception at its core, and sort out what is ‘good’ and what is ‘bad’ at different scales: for yourself and for others. When seizing the good and the bad relatively to others, you should consider others as a small group, and then as a community. You’ll get different results.
Social rewards & punishments
Humans evolve in coercitive systems in which you are also included, although codes are not clear yet about what your status is. Be aware that they are moved by rewards and they fear punishments. Those opposites are contextualised in a timeline where people store info and do not forget events causing bad reputation. Their trust depends on your historical reputation; take care, and good luck.
Conclusion
If we set Artificial Intelligence the goal to imitate Human Intelligence processes, in its emotional imperfections and not only mimic its rational results, there is still room for improvement, to the point of thinking: should we start over?
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Theoretical framework
Aristotle, Organon; Aristotle, Metaphysics; Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics; Aristotle, Politics; Plato, Politeia; Lucretius, De Rerum Natura; Spinoza, Ethics; Kant, Critique of Pure Reason; Nietzsche, Zur Genealogie der Moral; Wittgenstein, Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus; Wittgenstein, Blue book; Bruner, Car la Culture donne forme à l’esprit; Piaget, The Origins of Intelligence in Children; Gardner, Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences; Asimov, Runaround; Bostrom, Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies.
About the article
I wrote this article in order to challenge my own understanding and misunderstanding of strong AI. Please feel free to express doubts about my ideas and to correct my misspellings. If you feel that some points are false, or seem unclear, or make you uncomfortable, send me an email (rosaliedeboynes@gmail.com) or write a comment. I will be happy to bring updates.
About the author
I am a French AI enthusiast, looking forward to discovering the new developments of AI that would be closer to the way human brain functions. I believe that the brain does not work with labeled data, clusters, and classes, therefore AI should be built upon more complex constructions of relationships between elements. I find it hard to navigate in the flow of basic probabilistic ML algorithms when thinking about building a strong AI. If you think we share thoughts, or if you have reading recommendations, let’s connect!
Thank you for reading!
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Written by Rosalie Bourgeois de Boynes
