Newsgroups: comp.ai
Path: cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!das-news2.harvard.edu!cam-news-feed3.bbnplanet.com!cam-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!news.bbnplanet.com!howland.erols.net!usc!news.isi.edu!gremlin!shomase!jbarnett
From: jbarnett@nrtc.northrop.com (Jeff Barnett)
Subject: Re: Wthical implications
Message-ID: <E6HFvD.EDr@gremlin.nrtc.northrop.com>
Sender: news@gremlin.nrtc.northrop.com (Usenet News Manager)
Reply-To: jbarnett@charming.nrtc.northrop.com
Organization: Northrop Automation Sciences Laboratory
References: <5ev1ka$8fo@rzunews.unizh.ch> <3313B752.41C67EA6@punaluu.eng.hawaii.edu> <33170662.4173AADD@ncl.ac.uk>
Date: Mon, 3 Mar 1997 19:37:59 GMT
Lines: 32

In article <33170662.4173AADD@ncl.ac.uk>, "Andrew G. Tulloch" <A.G.Tulloch@ncl.ac.uk> writes:
|> Hello!
|> 
|> does anyone have any references dealing with the ethical implications of
|> Ai, Expert systems etc., esp. in the coming century?

A book by Joe Wisenbaum hit the best sellers list about a
decade ago.  I can't remember its exact title but some of
us gave it the nickname "Computers and Ought".  (This was
based on the classic "Computers and Thought" and the fact
that Wisenbaum couldn't distinguish ought/ought not from
can/cannot.)  There are also the writtings of Herb Dryfeus
and his relative (Stu).  BTW, the name of a sub-computer-
science field that is supposed to deal with these issues
is Computer Impacts.  It's a tough field and there are a
lot of hacks in it.  The composition is something like that
of software engineering -- a bunch of people that can't do,
can't teach, but do preach.  However, in both fields there
are some very good and very thoughful people.  Just take
everything you read with a grain of salt.  The problem
with all philosophy/sociology/ethics/theology is that we
always seem to confuse the following two ideals:

Right: Everyone has a right to their own opinion.

Wrong: Everyone has the right to expect me to take
       their opinion seriously.

Just remember, if you start reding this wierd literature,
turn on your bug light and don't swollow any goony birds.

Jeff Barnett
