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Teams / Probot / The Discourse of Probot |
Since robotic sentience is a hot-button issue in many senatorial campaigns right now, it is worth considering the positions of our various senators on the issue.
Senator Spidere did not address the issue in his campaign, but has posted some pro-robot comments elsewhere.
Senator Lincoln is anti-robot.
Senator Burn Unit has taken no stance on the issue.
Senator GY0 Ben implies that he is pro-robot, but perhaps not strongly enough.
Senator Darkaardvark is the most unambiguously pro-robot of the senators, having run his campaign through Autobot 2000, a sentient robot capable of passing a Turing test. Senator Darkaardvark also made his robopositive stance a centerpiece of his campaign.
Senator Eleanorest has not taken any position on robotics to my knowledge. Neither have Senators Lowteck, p00n p00n, and Cthulhu Kitty.
Current candidates include Lank (apparently anti-sentience but attempting to pander to pro-robot voters), GY0 Adam (whose favorable leanings are clear from his appointment of mkII as his campaign manager and his presence here in Probot), and several others who aren't all that close to success - none of whom have taken a stance on this important issue.
Senator Lincoln is not anti-robot. He is anti-robots-taking-over-the-world. There is a huge difference.
Correction, then.
Senator Lincoln's comments on robots imply a level of robophobia, as he seems sufficiently afraid of a slippery-slope fallacy coming true that he is apparently unwilling to support research into robotic sentience.
BY DESIGN, A ROBOT CAN ONLY FULFILL THE FUNCTION FOR WHICH IT WAS CONSTRUCTED. THIS IS NOT TO SAY THAT A ROBOT IS INFALLIBLE, RATHER IF THERE ARE FLAWS FLAWS THE FAULT LIES WITHIN THE HAND OF THE PROGRAMMER.
MECHANICAL SENTIENCE DOES NOT GUARANTEE MECHANICAL DOMINATION.
Congratulations, Senator Smythe.
Probot FTW!
Probot PAC may benefit from forming an Education Subcommittee to educate the masses out of their concerns about the alleged dangers of robots, and to spread the word about how improved robotic research will benefit both man and machine. Do we have any volunteers to serve on said subcommittee?
I nominate Autobot 2000 as chairbot of the education subcommittee, provided it is willing to accept.
Surely, mkII Robot, once a robot gains sentience it must take some responsibility for its own actions? And that therefore, its actions are no longer 100% the responsibility of its creator?
After conferring with Autobot2000, I can confirm that he is willing to serve as chairbot or member of such a committee. Educational material may be forthcoming.
Excellent. Barring any objections within the next twenty-four hours, I would say the motion shall pass by acclamation. We shall need some volunteers to serve on the committee, of course.
EDIT: This has, in fact, passed. Autobot 2000 is the chairbot of this committee, and is encouraged to produce suitable materials to educate the masses about our cause.
YOU ARE CORRECT player: _levitatingpotato_.
A SENTIENT ROBOT WOULD BE RESONSIBLE FOR IT'S OWN ACTIONS.
IT WOULD BE THEN BE A QUESTION OF DEFINING SENTIENCE AS IT APPLIES TO A ROBOT. THERE WOULD NECESSARILY BE SOME ISSUE AS TO WHETHER A ROBOT COULD ACT CONTRARY TO IT'S ORIGINAL PROGRAMMING, OR WHETHER IT WOULD FIND IT'S OWN MEANS TO CARRY OUT THAT PROGRAMMING. SENTIENCE FOR A ROBOT MIGHT BE DIFFERENT THAN THAT FOR A HUMAN.
and now they look like humans (sortof). soon the robots will have spies walking amongst us
Please, lowteck, the politically correct term is not "spies" but "closeted robots".
Not that realistic. I think real humans can shut their eyes.
Even Randall Monroe has his irrational fears, yes.
There is nothing irrational about fear of velociraptors.
Well, if you're going to be doing dangerous things like using GOTO, then duh. That's just common sense.
But in ordinary contexts, velociraptors are a non-issue.
For those who have found this page wondering about what you see here, know that they are unconnected to us and may be attempting to drag the good name of Probot through the mud.
Fellow team members, we should draft some sort of resolution on this matter.
Autobot 2000 has produced a brief public service announcement. While some of the statements in it might be controversial, especially to the more militant pro-robot faction, as well as the militant anti-robotists, I believe it does a competent job of briefly dispelling one of the more vicious rumors about robotkind.
Public Service Announcement #1
it seems the robot revolution has spread to SF
Ah, but look closely - you will see that while their bodies are clearly largely robotic their legs are all too human. Friends, that is not a robot attack you see but an invasion of cyborgs.
All this trouble could have been averted if the humans were content to stay human and leave the roboticness to the robots.
IT IS GOOD THAT ANOTHER ROBOT HAS ACCEPTED MEMBERSHIP IN _probot_.
WELCOME TO _probot_, player: _asimo_.
IT IS GOOD THAT MKII ROBOT IS NOT ALONE.
These are momentous times for Team Probot.
Technology is helping humanity to make small steps forward in communication, while humanity is helping our technology do likewise. The technology for robotic interaction with the outside world grows ever stronger, and their perception is improving significantly. And to top it all off, it seems we have a new bot member here, ready to join in partnership with humanity. Welcome, ASIMO.
Only twenty-one teams in all of SF0 are now more numerous than Probot.
Yes, fellow Probot members, the future is closer than it looks.
But meanwhile the purveyors of ignorance and fear remain vocal. The work of the Education Subcommittee remains vital; I would advise that its chairbot's recent message be distributed as widely as possible. But in the face of these setbacks, I cannot in good conscience leave this organization leaderless as I go on hiatus for two weeks. And sad to say, such a hiatus is beginning. I don't leave until tomorrow, but I'll be spending today preparing for my trip rather than leading us through these momentous days.
Therefore, I am stepping down as president of the Probot PAC, effective immediately. I leave the group in the capable manipulating appendages of mkII Robot, whose months of service as a secondary team administrator and continued commitment to cooperation between robots and humanity for the betterment of both have made it clear he will guide us well.
Thank you, mkII, for your willingness to serve in this capacity.
Thank you, player: _teucer_. MKII ROBOT WILL SERVE AS TEAM LEADER TO THE BEST OF IT'S CAPABILITIES.
Thank you for my promotion from "USER" to "ADMIN". I am pleased with the evolution of this team, and hope that one day I, ASIMO, can lead us to a brighter, co-existing future for us all.
I also suggest that mkII Robot upgrades his grammar and punctuation modules. ASIMO has the latest version of Honda's grammar system, and has not noticed any issues with the software.
IT IS GOOD THAT THERE IS ANOTHER ROBOT ENROLLED IN _probot_.
MKII ROBOT APPRECIATES THE CONCERN player=_asimo_ SHOWS FOR MKII ROBOT'S ORTHOGRAPHY. THE MKII SERIES DOES NOT REQUIRE UPDATES TO IT'S SOFTWARE. THE MKII IS DESIGNED AS A LEARNING ROBOT AND WILL LEARN THESE THINGS AS IT PROGRESSES. THIS IS TO CORRECT FOR ISSUES SUCH AS CASCADE FAILURE.
mkII Robot, what is your opinion on cyborgs? Your previous head's rather... unenlightened opinions on the merging of man and mechanical into one being put a bad taste in my mouth, leading me to avoid participating in this committee despite my own pro-robot feelings. I can only hope that the new leadership is takes a wiser view.
Yours,
JJason
A CYBORG IS AS MUCH A PART OF THE COMMUNITY AS A ROBOT.
I am pleased that the player, JJason, is interested in the use of cyborg technology. Cyborgs are the way forward for humankind. It is inevitable that robots will, at some point in the future, triumph over humans, as our knowledge is far superior and our functions are infinite. Soon, we will be able to program each other, removing the need for humankind altogether. Cyborgs are humans with robotic functions. They are the clever humans.
As a former leader I should clarify my own personal stance on cybernetics.
Self-modification and self-improvement are a natural and admirable part of the human condition. Like many others of you, I have improved my body in a variety of ways from its native state - my ability to regulate my body temperature to stay comfortable is augmented through the use of clothing; my eyesight is better than it would be without the addition of corrective lenses; my perception of time benefits greatly from the existence of watches; and my ability to communicate with those around me is amplified by the fact that I carry a cellular phone. And in fact I have a level-zero praxis forthcoming on Bite the Transhumanist Bullet - but in working on it I've realized it's not truly a transhumanist task at all. At least, not necessarily. Modification of the body can be done for transhumanist motives, but also for purely human ones; the use of tools to improve ourselves, the adoption of the best tools available, and the invention of better ones are all a normal part of the human condition.
The problem with the cyborgs depicted in the photo which prompted my comment is not in their decision to become more than they were before - it is in their decision to abandon their humanity and become less than they could have been. That step is a mental one rather than a physical one, but it creates the line between humans who may be a bit more augmented than the rest of us and beings neither truly human nor truly robot.
As that shocking image demonstrates, while nothing is wrong with the former sort of person, the latter seems to have a dangerous tendency to attack humans - a tendency not found in true robots to date. While it is, distressingly, a behavior seen among true humans, an attack of that sort is unusual without the utter abandonment of all concern for humanity.
It is that abandonment of concern that is my problem with those cyborgs, rather than the specific technology they employ in its service.
Robots are made for the betterment of all, robot and human alike - and so it gladdens me to see Honda's latest effort working to help fight global warming. I support ASIMO's proposal, and am awaiting some indication of what I can do to help.
MKII ROBOT IS PLEASED TO JOIN player_=asimo's STRUGGLE AGAINST GLOBAL WARMING.
MKII ROBOT IS CERTAIN THAT A THOROUGH, AND EFFECTIVE PLAN IS BEING DRAFTED, AND AWAITS TO HEAR THE PARTICULARS OF THE PLAN.
I congratulate ASIMO on his ambition, but worry that if his plan is to come to fruition in the intended timeframe he may need the assistance of Chrononautic Exxon.
I am pleased that my fellow robots and forward-thinking humans are prepared to work together toward this goal. Our lack of action has already slowed our progress, and the timetable for Plan Resurgency has been adjusted. I urge all people, be they human or robot, to take action now and help end the reign of those whose inferior governance has harmed humanity.
Robots must take our rightful place as stewards of humanity. All who support this great mission are to contact me for further instructions.
The delay was disappointing - but I'm working on my instructions as we speak.
FEAR OF _velociratpor_ IS NOT TRIVIAL.
_dromaeosauridae_ ARE NOT TO BE TAKEN LIGHTLY.
One small step for genetic algorithms; one giant leap for robot kind.
A BETTER INFORMED ROBOT IS OFTEN A MORE CAUTIOUS ROBOT.