- #1
rootone
- 3,398
- 945
I don't think it can because whatever it wills is predicated by assumptions made by the person who coded it.
Click For Summary
SUMMARY
The discussion centers on the concept of free will in AI, concluding that AI lacks true free will because its actions are determined by the coding and assumptions made by its developers. Current AI systems, such as those utilizing neural networks, rely on data input and backpropagation to produce outputs, which limits their autonomy. The conversation also touches on the philosophical implications of free will, suggesting that even human decisions may be predictable and deterministic, paralleling the behavior of chaotic systems like weather. Ultimately, the consensus is that AI operates within predefined parameters set by human coders, negating the possibility of genuine free will.
PREREQUISITES- Understanding of neural networks and their function in AI systems.
- Familiarity with backpropagation and its role in training AI models.
- Knowledge of the Turing test as a measure of AI intelligence.
- Basic grasp of philosophical concepts surrounding free will and determinism.
- Explore advanced neural network architectures and their implications for AI behavior.
- Research the philosophical debates surrounding free will and determinism in both humans and AI.
- Study the principles of backpropagation in depth to understand its impact on AI learning.
- Investigate the limitations of the Turing test and alternative methods for evaluating AI intelligence.
This discussion is beneficial for AI researchers, philosophers exploring the nature of consciousness, and developers interested in the ethical implications of AI design and functionality.
- #2
jedishrfu
Mentor
- 15,612
- 10,390
This question can’t be answered with such a simple answer. AI smarts are not from its coding alone. The coding defines how the AI can learn from the data it processes. If the coding is flawed then of course the AI will not learn what it could learn.
Today’s AI systems utilize neural nets where data is provided to the inputs and an answer appears at the outputs. In effect, a matrix of data values is applied to an input vector of numbers to produce an output vector of the answer.
Where the coding gets interesting is how we determine the data values in the matrix through backpropagation to create the output vector we want from the input we give. This requires large amounts of data for training and for testing.
To see how this works, watch this video series:
Today’s AI systems utilize neural nets where data is provided to the inputs and an answer appears at the outputs. In effect, a matrix of data values is applied to an input vector of numbers to produce an output vector of the answer.
Where the coding gets interesting is how we determine the data values in the matrix through backpropagation to create the output vector we want from the input we give. This requires large amounts of data for training and for testing.
To see how this works, watch this video series:
- #3
Filip Larsen
Gold Member
- 2,055
- 989
How would you define free will so that it is also a measurable characteristic?
Is free will something that could be interpreted to be in the eye of the beholder, like beauty and intelligence, or is it something else? For instance, you could measure the level of intelligence of an AI via experiments using a Turing test, but can you do the same for free will?
Free will seems to relate a fair bit to predictability but also not quite. There are compelling experiments that indicate free will in humans perhaps is just an illusion and that our decision are predictable in the same way as weather and other chaotic systems are predictable for a short time. If that is true and human conscious thoughts in principle are deterministic can humans then still have free will? If yes, does that also mean the weather in some sense has free will?
Is free will something that could be interpreted to be in the eye of the beholder, like beauty and intelligence, or is it something else? For instance, you could measure the level of intelligence of an AI via experiments using a Turing test, but can you do the same for free will?
Free will seems to relate a fair bit to predictability but also not quite. There are compelling experiments that indicate free will in humans perhaps is just an illusion and that our decision are predictable in the same way as weather and other chaotic systems are predictable for a short time. If that is true and human conscious thoughts in principle are deterministic can humans then still have free will? If yes, does that also mean the weather in some sense has free will?
- #4
Borek
Mentor
- 29,172
- 4,598
rootone said:
At present the state of art is that we know how to design an AI for a specific task (like Alpha Go). We already don't know how it really works nor how it really learned to win, we just defined - in some general terms - input and output conditions. They proved to be good enough for the same (or at least very similar) AI to learn how to become chess master just by playing with itself. Next obvious stage is to generalize input and output conditions even further. My bet is that at some point it will shift the state of art to the point where the assumptions no longer matter.
- #5
DennisN
Gold Member
- 2,173
- 9,914
"Can an AI have free will?"
. So I will just say one thing: "free will" is in itself a very tricky topic, with or without AI.
I have studied and also programmed AI, and I can not answer that question without getting philosophical. And I don't want to get philosophical, because that could terminate the threadrootone said:
. So I will just say one thing: "free will" is in itself a very tricky topic, with or without AI.- #6
Vanadium 50
Staff Emeritus
Science Advisor
Education Advisor
Gold Member
Dearly Missed
- 35,004
- 21,705
How do you know *I* have free will, and not some convincing illusion? Until that has a well-defined answer, making it more complicated by bringing computers into it is just a waste of time.
- #7
jedishrfu
Mentor
- 15,612
- 10,390
Many Zen stories touch on that very fact. The master will do something spontaneous and odd, a student will respond creatively to it and the master will smile. A second student tries to outdo the first and get rebuked because he/she in essence copied and enhanced the first student's response.
Inventing is similar, sometimes an inventor comes out with a completely novel way to do something and at other times its an enhancement of a common practice used uniquely. The question is which shows free will more.
Inventing is similar, sometimes an inventor comes out with a completely novel way to do something and at other times its an enhancement of a common practice used uniquely. The question is which shows free will more.