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From: markrose@spss.com (Mark Rosenfelder)
Subject: Re: Robot religions (was: Is there a spiritual force)
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References: <SOSUSER.2.2E731869@sos.net> <1994Sep11.164225.6753@news.media.mit.edu> <357b85$si7@crl.crl.com>
Date: Wed, 14 Sep 1994 22:32:52 GMT
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In article <357b85$si7@crl.crl.com>, Winson Quock <winson@crl.com> wrote:
>What do you think the possibility that an intelligent system, created by 
>human beings, will one day believe in some religions? (I don't mean those
>systems programmed to "believe" a religion nor those commercial expert systems
>devoted to sell you religious (or scientific) ideas.)
> What will that religion(s) be? Will it invent its own religion? 
>Adopt one practiced by human beings? Or will it treat you -- its creator -- 
>as the God?

A successful AI is likely to be a generalized learning machine, not a
preprogrammed expert system or theorem prover.  For that reason, I don't 
think you can predict its beliefs; they'll depend on its experiences, as 
ours do.  Nor would it be particularly interesting if it adopted any 
particular religion or irreligion.  

What would be more interesting would be the reaction of existing religions
to a robot's application for membership.  Do robots have souls?  (Some
may remember the similar conundrum posed in Anatole France's _Penguin
Island_, when Heaven has to decide what to do when a nearsighted saint
baptizes a flock of penguins by accident.)
