Mark R. Waser
Digital Wisdom Institute
MWaser@DigitalWisdomInstitute.org
The problem is that no ethical system has ever
reached consensus. Ethical systems are
completely unlike mathematics or science.
This is a source of concern.
AI makes philosophy honest.
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Is primarily implemented via emotions
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Is not transparent or reflective
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Frequently conflicts with “rationality”
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Is “clearly” subjective
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Consensus, evaluation & programming require
objective measurement
For present purposes (primitive military robots),
international law can serve as a “stand-in” for
ethical consensus
But we *don’t* want hyper-intelligent entities
following the letter of the law rather than the
spirit (and it is distinctly unhelpful even when
*humans* do it).
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Are good and evil objective & universal?
Context / Hume’s Is-Ought divide
 Moral Relativism
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Can ethics be objective & universal?
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Is there a global/universal context?
Kant’s Categorical Imperative
Derek Parfit’s three-fold approach
Jonathan Haidt’s functional approach
Luciano Floridi’s Information Ethics
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Moral systems are interlocking sets of
values, virtues, norms, practices, identities, institutions,
technologies, and evolved psychological mechanisms
that work together to
suppress or regulate selfishness and
make cooperative social life possible
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The Selfish Gene
Evolved Moral Sense
Obligatorily Gregarious
Positive Sum Games/Interactions
Ethics is an attractor in the state space of behavior
because community is so valuable (as much for
lack of interference as well as for assistance)
Arms Race between
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Individual benefits of successful personal cheating
(really only in a short-term/highly time-discounted view)
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Societal benefits of cheating detection & prevention
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Goal(s) are the
purpose(s) of
existence
Decisions
Values are defined
solely by what
furthers the goal(s)
Values
Goal(s)
Decisions are
made solely
according to what
furthers the goal(s)
BUT goals can easily
be over-optimized
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Values define
who you are,
for your life
Decisions
Goals you set
for short or long
periods of time
Goals
Values
Decisions you
make every day
of your life
Humans don’t have
singular life goals
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Table 1. Items most reliably classified as values & goals
Values
M
Goals
M
Tradition
1.6
World peace
1.5
Honesty
1.4
Go to college
1.3
Helping others 1.3
Wealth
1.3
Forgiveness
1.3
Fitness
1.2
Generosity
1.2
Marriage, Children
1.0
Family relations 1.2
Being accomplished
0.9
Loyalty
1.1
Healthiness
0.9
A Relationship
Fame
0.8
with God 0.9
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Altruism (not-so-angelic investors)
Without explicit goals to the contrary, AIs are
likely to behave like human sociopaths in their
pursuit of resources – Omohundro 2008
Monomania/Selfishness is fatal in the end game
All goals
Unknown goals
Instrumental sub-goals
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Self-improvement
Rationality/integrity
Preserve goals/utility function
Decrease/prevent fraud/counterfeit utility
Survival/self-protection
Efficiency (in resource acquisition & use)
Community = assistance/non-interference
through GTO reciprocation (OTfT + AP)
Reproduction
survival/self-protection & reproduction
happiness & pleasure
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
community
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
self-improvement
rationality/integrity
reduce/prevent fraud/counterfeit utility
efficiency (in resource acquisition & use)
suicide (& abortion?) survival/reproduction
masochism
happiness/pleasure
murder (& abortion?)
cruelty/sadism
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selfishness
(pride, vanity)
community
(ETHICS)
ostracism, banishment
& slavery (wrath, envy)
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acedia (sloth/despair)
self-improvement
slavery
insanity
rationality/integrity
manipulation
wire-heading
(lust)
reduce/prevent
fraud/counterfeit utility
lying/fraud (swear
falsely/false witness)
wastefulness
(gluttony, sloth)
efficiency (in resource
acquisition & use)
theft (greed, adultery,
coveting)
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1) Care/harm: This foundation is related to our long evolution as mammals with attachment
systems and an ability to feel (and dislike) the pain of others. It underlies virtues of kindness,
gentleness, and nurturance.
2) Fairness/cheating: This foundation is related to the evolutionary process of reciprocal altruism.
It generates ideas of justice, rights, and autonomy. [Note: In our original conception, Fairness
included concerns about equality, which are more strongly endorsed by political liberals. However,
as we reformulated the theory in 2011 based on new data, we emphasize proportionality, which is
endorsed by everyone, but is more strongly endorsed by conservatives]
3) Liberty/oppression*: This foundation is about the feelings of reactance and resentment people
feel toward those who dominate them and restrict their liberty. Its intuitions are often in tension with
those of the authority foundation. The hatred of bullies and dominators motivates people to come
together, in solidarity, to oppose or take down the oppressor.
4) Loyalty/betrayal: This foundation is related to our long history as tribal creatures able to form
shifting coalitions. It underlies virtues of patriotism and self-sacrifice for the group. It is active anytime
people feel that it's "one for all, and all for one."
5) Authority/subversion: This foundation was shaped by our long primate history of hierarchical
social interactions. It underlies virtues of leadership and followership, including deference to
legitimate authority and respect for traditions.
6) Sanctity/degradation: This foundation was shaped by the psychology of disgust and
contamination. It underlies religious notions of striving to live in an elevated, less carnal, more noble
way. It underlies the widespread idea that the body is a temple which can be desecrated by immoral
activities and contaminants (an idea not unique to religious traditions).
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Waste
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Ownership/Possession
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efficiency in use of resources; Tragedy of the Commons
Honesty
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efficiency in use of resources
reduce/prevent fraud/counterfeit utility
Self-control
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Rationality/integrity
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Quantify/evaluate
intents, actions & consequences
with respect to
codified consensus moral foundations
Permissiveness/Utility Function
equivalent to a “consensus” human (generic entity) moral sense
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from Greek - αὐτo- (auto-), meaning "self", and
ποίησις (poiesis), meaning "creation, production")
refers to a closed system capable of creating itself
self-production/self-(re)creation = entity
Hofstadter’s “I am a Strange Loop”
*much* more wieldy/governable than “free will”
Tools vs. entities (MIRI vs. Joanna Bryson)
AAAI Spring Symposium 2014 – Stanford (March)
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Never delegate responsibility until recipient is
an entity *and* known capable of fulfilling it
Don’t worry about killer robots exterminating
humanity – we will always have equal abilities
and they will have less of a “killer instinct”
Entities can protect themselves against errors
& misuse/hijacking in a way that tools cannot
Diversity (differentiation) is *critically* needed
Humanocentrism is selfish and unethical
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The Digital Wisdom Institute is a non-profit think tank
focused on the promise and challenges of ethics,
artificial intelligence & advanced computing solutions.
We believe that
the development of ethics and artificial intelligence
and equal co-existence with ethical machines is
humanity's best hope
http://DigitalWisdomInstitute.org
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