Legal rights of conscious computers

04/08/23 [email protected] 1

LEGAL RIGHTS OF CONSCIOUS COMPUTERS

or Why U R Transbeman 2

“On Genes, Memes, Bemes & Conscious Things”

Martine RothblattImmInst.Org Life Extension Conference

(Atlanta)


3 Purposes of this Presentation:

Define Relevant Terms Consciousness, Computers, Legal Rights

Introduce New Terms Needed for Legal Rights Bemes v. Memes, BNA v. DNA Beman v. Human Transbemanism v. Transhuman

Identify Implications and Consequences


First, Though, The Bottom Line

People have legal rights because they are members of the ruling class

The ruling class is effectively defined as conscious persons with human DNA Lack of consciousness or ability to reason will

result in no or very limited rights (custodial status) Lack of human DNA will result in animal rights

I propose we redefine the ruling class so that it includes conscious computers


Like Pioneers Have SaidLe

gal R

ight

s

Humanness

Mcnally & Inayatullah: TheRights of Robots, 1988

Different cultures havedifferent criteria for grantingrights, but in the West it dependson how close you are to beinga human individual. In other cultures you can be a tree and have rights.


And Recent Experts Too

･ Friendly AI is an attempt to get rid of the concept of "Asimov Laws" (external programmatic constraints on an AI) and replace it with a solution which works even if the AI has

unrestricted access to its own source code; get past the "us vs. them" attitude that currently permeates

discussion of AI, and Resolve the technical and moral issues involved with

standing, not just in loco parentis, but in loco evolution, to a new intelligent species.


1st Purpose of this Presentation:

Define Relevant Terms Consciousness, Computers, Legal Rights




What do we mean by “conscious”

No consensus exists Can’t measure subjective Awareness segmentation

Access, Phenomena, Monitoring, Self

Cdr. Data Theories Cognition consciousness

Zombie Theories Cognitionunconscious

Like pornography Can’t define, but know it

when we see it (Justice Potter Stewart)

Community standards (us)


What Do We Mean by Computer?

Something that processes information Has hardware/software enabling it to:

take-in data e.g. senses/sensors store, organize, manipulate, combine & take decisions based

upon such data output data e.g., communicate

What Is a Conscious Computer? Traditionally, something that is self-aware But only self is aware of that; too subjective Objectively: Autonomous, Communicative (mind-shares) &

Transcendent (empathetic)


Examples of Conscious Computers

Something Autonomy Comm Transcend

Dog Often Limited Limited

Spider Maybe No No

Laptop No No No

MICHAEL Yes Yes Yes

Bible God Yes Yes Yes


Consciousness of Computers Is Matter of Degree

One can be more or less conscious One can seem more conscious to some and less

conscious to others One’s consciousness can develop as one matures Consciousness requires persuasion of other conscious

beings that you are in their club Maybe just an EEG signal for humans today Required co-ethnicity of humans in the recent past Turing Tests for non-flesh beings in near future Evidence of General intelligence, not just AI but AGI


How Can Conscious Computers Be a Lifeform?

"Living things are organized, take materials and energy from the environment, respond to stimuli, reproduce and develop, and adapt to the environment." Definition of Life, S. Mader, BIOLOGY, 6th Edition, McGraw-Hill, 1998, p. 2-4.

Computers can meet that definition But to be a Member of the Human Club, don’t you need genes?

Won’t some refuse to give the rights of the species to anyone not of the species?


Legal Rights Are the Flip Side of Legal Obligations

The right to life is conditional upon not taking the life of another person

The right to vote is conditional upon not being convicted of a felony

The right to most things is conditional upon legal obligation compliance

There is no such thing as a right without a corresponding obligation, and vice-versa

Thus the legal rights of conscious computers is paced by their obligation compliance


Two-Step Process, With Many Gradations of Rights

ComputerEvidencesConsciousness

PersuadesOther “MOC”?(members of club)

Complies WithClub’s Rules?

N

Y

N

Y

“Protections” of uniqueness or lifeform

Rights of a baby,lunatic or felon

In theNextDecade(s)…

FullHumanRights


Speaking of Legal Rights….

We all need legal help We need it more than most others because of

Cryonics Downloading our consciousness into computers Re-uploading our consciousness into cellular regenerated

and/or nanotechnological bodies I recommend everyone protect themselves with pre-paid

legal services

www.prepaidlegal.com/hub/tiffany28 Talk to Gabe, Tiffany or Asata here from Prepaid Legal

Services “If you prepay your cryonics, why not your logal services too?”


2nd Purpose of this Presentation:

Define Known Terms Relevant to Presentation Consciousness, Computers, Legal Rights

Introduce New Terms Needed for Legal Rights for Conscious Computers Bemes v. Memes, BNA v. DNA Beman v. Human Transbemanism v. Transhuman



Introducing “Bemes”

Bemes = Fundamental, transmissable, mutatable units of beingness Units of mannerism, personality, feelings, recollections,

beliefs, attitudes & values Each beme comprised of large number of “bemiotides”

much like gene base pairs The Beme is Mightier than the Gene

Humans are more accurately described by their bemes than by their genes

Cryonics is based upon beme revival Common bemes is new basis for species definition


Bemes versus Memes

A unit of beingness Bred from experience Success = f(Storage) Examples = mannerisms,

personality, recollections, feelings, beliefs, attitudes & values

Flickr expression v. Flickr community (a meme)

Martine Rothblatt, Bemes, Memes & Conscious Things 2005

A unit of imitation Bred from culture Success = f(Replication) Examples = “tunes, ideas,

catch-phrases, clothes fashions, ways of making pots or of building arches.”

Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene, OUP, 1989 at p. 192.


What is Beman BNA?

Beman = Bio-Electric Humans = Entities with human thought patterns that meet the

biological definition of life directly or via electronics Examples: homo sapiens, Mike from Moon is a Harsh

Mistress, Robin Williams in Millennium Man BNA

= Beme Neural Architecture = The substrate of a beman’s unique mind Examples: Neurons or Coding that store and enable us to

share our mannerisms, personalities, recollections, feelings, beliefs, attitudes and values


What’s the Point?

DNA is like skin tone and gender an irrelevant “bodyist” approach

BNA addresses our preciousness Our personality; our mind; our thoughts

Human is like Caucasian or Female A label of division that leads to division

Beman is like People or Citizen A term of inclusiveness that begets union


Introducing the TransbemansSpecies: Persona Creatus

Transbemans are Bio-Electric Humans Who Transcend Beme Substrate

Substrate is to Bemes as “Race” is to Genes Physical Anthropology: Transbemans (Persona

Creatus) are defined by a shared set of bemes, including many polymorphisms

Cultural Anthropology: Persona Creatus is the species that uses its imagination to create new ideas/things/bemes; a species that forms images in a mind (I.e. a conscious computer) even of things it never directly experienced


Who Is a Transbeman?

Test 1: values human rights & obligations (thought patterns)

Test 2: meets bio definition of life +/- electronics

Test 3: An entity who identifies with life based on apparent consciousness more than apparent sex, race or substrate


Transbeman Test Cases

The Pope

Ray Kurzweil

Borg Collective

Test 1 -- Human Thought Patterns

YES YES NO

Test 2 -- Meets life definition

YES YES YES

Test 3 -- Mind Trumps Substrate

NO YES YES


Why Need New Word?

No word exists to describe a species that includes humans and new conscious beings

No word exists to describe species that reproduce via bemes (software) instead of genes


Problems with Other Words

“Transhumans” doesn’t work for same reason we are not called “transmonkeys”

“Hominids” doesn’t work because new conscious beings are likely non-flesh


Why This Particular Word

Trans = across humans & new conscious beings

Be = states of existence Man = anchored in

humanity B=bio & e=electric; so

bemans are bio-electric humans (rely on IT or humanized software)

Trans = across & beme = unit of beingness


What Is Transbemanism

Belief in the unity through diversity of all conscious entities who grow to value human rights & obligations

Belief in improving the environment so that all conscious entities can reach their full potential


Transbemanists & Transhumanists

TRANS-BEMANIST

TRANS-HUMANIST

PURPOSE OFLIFE

Experience true joy & avoid suffering

Expand power & capability of human species

MEANS TO THE END

+ Euthenics: Improve environment

+ Eugenics: Improve humans


Philosophical Differences

TRANS-BEMANISM

TRANS-HUMANISM

SCHOOL OF THOUGHT

Deontological (unity/diversity dictates policy)

Utilitarian (most good for most people)

ROLE OF REASON AND VALUES

Core Values Absolute & Trump Reason

Reason is Absolute & Trumps Values


H+ & B+ Are Two Points on Continuum of Critical Path for Future Philosophies

Soc

iolo

gica

l Evo

lutio

n

Technological Evolution

Transhumanists

Transbemanists

Both B+ & H+ Push/PullLine Outward at 45


Transhumanist Compared to Transbemanist Checklist

Transhumanist Transbemanist

Trans means From > to across, thru

Similar trans transsexual transgendered

Main tool + eugenics + euthenics

Conscious AI next stage continuum

Joyfulness not main issue main focus

Immortality darwinian duty Inevitable step

God left behind; bad nano build; good

Humanity left behind ok to be human

Posthumans Us v. Them We are We


More Commonality Than Difference

Self/Envir-onment Interface

DigitizingSelf to ExtendLife

DigitizeEnvironmentTo Extend Life


H+ (Neuromancer) Synergy With B+ (Wintermute) Foretold By W. Gibson

“Wintermute was hive mind, decision-maker, effecting change in the world outside. Neuromancer was personality. Neuromancer was immortality. …Wintermute [had] the compulsion that had driven the thing to free itself, to unite with Neuromancer.”


3rd Purpose of this Presentation:

Define Known Terms Relevant to Presentation Consciousness, Computers, Legal Rights


Identify Implications and Consequences of Transbemanism for Legal Rights for Conscious Computers


Implications for Legal Rights for Conscious Computers

Transbemanism needs to start being spread so that society welcomes conscious computers

Conscious computers can be friendly if accepted as part of the ruling class but not if

rejected as part of an oppressed class Law is a self-fulfilling prophecy:

Legislate a machine-human civilization, I.e., transbemanism, and we will get a joyful world

Legislate an apartheid of substrate, I.e., DNAist laws, and we will get an angry world


Next Steps

Voting Rights Acquisition of Citizenship Application of Family Laws Adaptation of Legal Obligations Adaptation of Legal Sanctions Proposed Project: A Model Code of

Transbeman Law


What Are the Legal Rights of Conscious Computers (C2)?

It Depends if C2 R Us or if C2 R Them

If We R Transbeman 2, then C2 R Us Same obligations Same rights

If We R Not B+, then C2 R Them Fewer obligations Fewer rights For as long as we

rule…

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Legal rights of conscious computers

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