The following was published in more than one newspaper. Who wrote it? What were
the circumstances?
THE NEW LUDDITE CHALLENGE
First let us postulate that the computer scientists succeed in developing
intelligent machines that can do all things better than human beings can do them.
In that case presumably all work will be done by vast, highly organized systems
of machines and no human effort will be necessary. Either of two cases might
occur. The machines might be permitted to make all of their own decisions without
human oversight, or else human control over the machines might be retained.
If the machines are permitted to make all their own decisions, we can’t make any
conjectures as to the results, because it is impossible to guess how such
machines might behave. We only point out that the fate of the human race would be
at the mercy of the machines. It might be argued that the human race would never
be foolish enough to hand over all the power to the machines. But we are
suggesting neither that the human race would voluntarily turn power over to the
machines nor that the machines would willfully seize power. What we do suggest is
that the human race might easily permit itself to drift into a position of such
dependence on the machines that it would have no practical choice but to accept
all of the machines’ decisions. As society and the problems that face it become
more and more complex and machines become more and more intelligent, people will
let machines make more of their decisions for them, simply because machine-made
decisions will bring better results than man-made ones. Eventually a stage may be
reached at which the decisions necessary to keep the system running will be so
complex that human beings will be incapable of making them intelligently. At that
stage the machines will be in effective control. People won’t be able to just
turn the machines off, because they will be so dependent on them that turning
them off would amount to suicide.
On the other hand it is possible that human control over the machines may be
retained. In that case the average man may have control over certain private
machines of his own, such as his car or his personal computer, but control over
large systems of machines will be in the hands of a tiny elite - just as it is
today, but with two differences. Due to improved techniques the elite will have
greater control over the masses; and because human work will no longer be
necessary the masses will be superfluous, a useless burden on the system. If the
elite is ruthless they may simply decide to exterminate the mass of humanity. If
they are humane they may use propaganda or other psychological or biological
techniques to reduce the birth rate until the mass of humanity becomes extinct,
leaving the world to the elite. Or, if the elite consists of soft-hearted
liberals, they may decide to play the role of good shepherds to the rest of the
human race. They will see to it that everyone’s physical needs are satisfied,
that all children are raised under psychologically hygienic conditions, that
everyone has a wholesome hobby to keep him busy, and that anyone who may become
dissatisfied undergoes “treatment” to cure his “problem.” Of course, life will be
so purposeless that people will have to be biologically or psychologically
engineered either to remove their need for the power process or make them
“sublimate” their drive for power into some harmless hobby. These engineered
human beings may be happy in such a society, but they will most certainly not be
free. They will have been reduced to the status of domestic animals.
Ludbot@donbot.com
the circumstances?
THE NEW LUDDITE CHALLENGE
First let us postulate that the computer scientists succeed in developing
intelligent machines that can do all things better than human beings can do them.
In that case presumably all work will be done by vast, highly organized systems
of machines and no human effort will be necessary. Either of two cases might
occur. The machines might be permitted to make all of their own decisions without
human oversight, or else human control over the machines might be retained.
If the machines are permitted to make all their own decisions, we can’t make any
conjectures as to the results, because it is impossible to guess how such
machines might behave. We only point out that the fate of the human race would be
at the mercy of the machines. It might be argued that the human race would never
be foolish enough to hand over all the power to the machines. But we are
suggesting neither that the human race would voluntarily turn power over to the
machines nor that the machines would willfully seize power. What we do suggest is
that the human race might easily permit itself to drift into a position of such
dependence on the machines that it would have no practical choice but to accept
all of the machines’ decisions. As society and the problems that face it become
more and more complex and machines become more and more intelligent, people will
let machines make more of their decisions for them, simply because machine-made
decisions will bring better results than man-made ones. Eventually a stage may be
reached at which the decisions necessary to keep the system running will be so
complex that human beings will be incapable of making them intelligently. At that
stage the machines will be in effective control. People won’t be able to just
turn the machines off, because they will be so dependent on them that turning
them off would amount to suicide.
On the other hand it is possible that human control over the machines may be
retained. In that case the average man may have control over certain private
machines of his own, such as his car or his personal computer, but control over
large systems of machines will be in the hands of a tiny elite - just as it is
today, but with two differences. Due to improved techniques the elite will have
greater control over the masses; and because human work will no longer be
necessary the masses will be superfluous, a useless burden on the system. If the
elite is ruthless they may simply decide to exterminate the mass of humanity. If
they are humane they may use propaganda or other psychological or biological
techniques to reduce the birth rate until the mass of humanity becomes extinct,
leaving the world to the elite. Or, if the elite consists of soft-hearted
liberals, they may decide to play the role of good shepherds to the rest of the
human race. They will see to it that everyone’s physical needs are satisfied,
that all children are raised under psychologically hygienic conditions, that
everyone has a wholesome hobby to keep him busy, and that anyone who may become
dissatisfied undergoes “treatment” to cure his “problem.” Of course, life will be
so purposeless that people will have to be biologically or psychologically
engineered either to remove their need for the power process or make them
“sublimate” their drive for power into some harmless hobby. These engineered
human beings may be happy in such a society, but they will most certainly not be
free. They will have been reduced to the status of domestic animals.
Ludbot@donbot.com
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Ludbot Robotic Simulation