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Article 5445 of comp.ai.philosophy:
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>From: rmarsh@waikato.ac.nz
Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
Subject: Re: AI failures
Message-ID: <1992May7.152447.7930@waikato.ac.nz>
Date: 7 May 92 03:24:47 GMT
References: <1992May1.193141.24350@psych.toronto.edu> <zlsiida.144@fs1.mcc.ac.uk> <1992May6.163335.8117@saifr00.cfsat.honeywell.com> <1992May6.201601.10052@mp.cs.niu.edu>
Organization: University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand
Lines: 19

In article <1992May6.201601.10052@mp.cs.niu.edu>, rickert@mp.cs.niu.edu (Neil Rickert) writes:
> 
>   May I suggest that you wait until AI has been achieved until you discuss
> the ethics of pulling the plug.  It all seems quite premature to me.
> 

By then it will be too late. Ideally we would want to know whether it was
ethically acceptable already when we first came to that bridge. Otherwise
we may allow someone to pull the plug on a machine (intelligence) we may 
later decide was morally entitled to continued existence. What you are
suggesting is like saying we shouldn't bother with civil defense procedures
until the earthquake/tsunami/fire/flood hits.

-- 
Robert 'Stumpy' Marsh | Brought to you from the bottom of the world
rmarsh@waikato.ac.nz  | both topographically and socio-politically.
+64 7 855 4406        | Whatever happened to Godzone?
    I can't reply to E-Mail but don't let that stop you sending!
    SnailMail: 95 Fairfield Rd, Hamilton, Aotearoa (New Zealand)


