A robot just passed the self-awareness test

More Than Mortal · July 16, 2015, 03:55:22 PM

Quote

Roboticists at the Ransselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York have built a trio of robots that were put through the classic 'wise men puzzle' test of self-awareness - and one of them passed.

In the puzzle, a fictional king is choosing a new advisor and gathers the three wisest people in the land. He promises the contest will be fair, then puts either a blue or white hat on each of their heads and tells them all that the first person to stand up and correctly deduce the colour of their own hat will become his new advisor.

Selmer Bringsjord set up a similar situation for the three robots - two were prevented from talking, then all three were asked which one was still able to speak. All attempt to say "I don't know", but only one succeeds - and when it hears its own voice, it understands that it was not silenced, saying "Sorry, I know now!"

However, as we can assume that all three robots were coded the same, technically, all three have passed this self-awareness test.

Human-like abilities

It might sound a pretty simple task for a human, but it's not for a robot - the bot must listen to and understand the question, then hear their own voice saying "I don't know" and recognise it as distinct from another robot's voice, then connect that with the original question to conclude that they hadn't been silenced.

Logical puzzles requiring an element of self-awareness like this are essential in building robots that can understand their role in society. By passing many tests of this type, it's hoped that robots will be able to build up a group of human-like abilities that become useful when combined.

Bringsjord's work will be presented at the RO-MAN conference in Japan, which runs from 31 August to 4 September 2015. Oh, you want the correct answer for the wise men puzzle? Well, the only fair contest would be if they were all the same colour!

Thun · July 16, 2015, 04:05:28 PM

Next thing you know, it'll be asking if it has a soul. By then it's already too late.

ΚΑΤΑΝΑΛΩΤΗΣ · July 16, 2015, 04:07:37 PM

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Verbatim · July 16, 2015, 04:22:39 PM

I don't see how this is supposed to test self-awareness...

DAS B00T x2 · July 16, 2015, 04:29:17 PM

Quote from: Verbatim on July 16, 2015, 04:22:39 PM

I don't see how this is supposed to test self-awareness...

me either... The robots just have to give an answer that means they don't have the data to answer the question, then when presented with the data they change their answer based on audio feedback.

More Than Mortal · July 16, 2015, 04:35:04 PM

This has nothing to do with just performing something like a quality check, as this is going much deeper through the software process. Here, the robot was not programmed to be able to collect data directly about it's own audio output, but rather only to analyse it's audio input and recognize not only that a robot had spoken, but that the voice it heard was its own, which is the very definition of self awareness. Sure, if that's the only trick it can do it's still not quite yet at true self awareness, but it's a first step, and getting robots to pass this kind of tests without being explicitly programmed for that purpose only would be the dawn of a truly self aware robot.

It's not like a car beeping when the door isn't shut properly. It's nowhere close to this since the door doesn't perform any operation since it's just a sensor wired directly to an alarm, whereas the robot had no direct connection made in it's programming between the signal and the result, and it came to this conclusion while trying to solve the logic problem given to it, and solving it by realizing that the voice it heard was it's own. Which is a success for the self awareness test.

Turkey · July 16, 2015, 04:35:45 PM

You could write a java program to do this in like 5 minutes. This is just another example of programs designed to replicate what a self-aware response would be.

More Than Mortal · July 16, 2015, 04:37:57 PM

Quote from: HurtfulTurkey on July 16, 2015, 04:35:45 PM

You could write a java program to do this in like 5 minutes. This is just another example of programs designed to replicate what a self-aware response would be.

I think the point is that the robots (or at least one of them) were capable of discerning whether a particular input was self-created.

Turkey · July 16, 2015, 04:45:06 PM

Quote from: Meta Cognition on July 16, 2015, 04:37:57 PM

Quote from: HurtfulTurkey on July 16, 2015, 04:35:45 PM
You could write a java program to do this in like 5 minutes. This is just another example of programs designed to replicate what a self-aware response would be.
I think the point is that the robots (or at least one of them) were capable of discerning whether a particular input was self-created.

That's really not impressive. A regular cell phone is capable of recognizing thousands of signals directed to and from its frequency. And it's a bit odd that this self awareness test requires it to recognize its own 'voice'...if it was self aware (and I'm using this phrase very loosely), it would have just recognised that it spoke. But that would also be incredibly easy to program.

All in all this basically just means he made a program that is written to appear like it's aware, when in reality it's just responding to a really small set of inputs.

More Than Mortal · July 16, 2015, 04:48:50 PM

Quote from: HurtfulTurkey on July 16, 2015, 04:45:06 PM

All in all this basically just means he made a program that is written to appear like it's aware, when in reality it's just responding to a really small set of inputs.

I thinkthe program was simply "analyse and deal with it", and the impressing thing was that it managed to infer that a part of the signals he received from the outer world was it's own; it wasn't wired to simply check if it's audio worked otherwise this would be pointless.

Of course, you know more science than I, so I'm stuck between what you're telling me and what this French dude I know is telling me. The article is pretty sparse, in fairness; it'd be nice to have some more details.

Turkey · July 16, 2015, 05:09:35 PM

Quote from: Meta Cognition on July 16, 2015, 04:48:50 PM

The article is pretty sparse, in fairness; it'd be nice to have some more details.

Yeah, it'd be nice to have more details of the programming.

Super Irish · July 16, 2015, 06:21:48 PM

I thought it had to pass the Alan Turing test or something like that, not it's own test that a robot was programmed for

I mean it's sorta interesting, but there's clear bias in this "test" that warrants further investigation before I'd agree that we have the first truly self aware robot/AI.

challengerX · July 16, 2015, 06:24:02 PM

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Pichu · July 16, 2015, 06:48:31 PM

Having some trouble believing this, but I don't think it should cause much concern.

I'd imagine if you're bright enough to make a self aware robot, you'd also be smart enough to make sure it doesn't cause any harm.

challengerX · July 16, 2015, 07:52:58 PM

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Deleted · July 16, 2015, 07:54:57 PM

Inb4 we all get quarian'd.

But seriously, self aware A.I is extremely an extremely dangerous prospect and if this post is true it should shut off until we are more sophisticated to the point where we can deal with both the moral issues this bring up as well as the potential dangers.

A should design should be researched far more before we begin putting it into practice.

Deleted · July 16, 2015, 07:58:49 PM

If we ever do develop a truely self aware AI in the near future we are going to be extreme cautious about how we handle it.

Verbatim · July 16, 2015, 08:01:53 PM

i'm not sure what makes you think that, considering we can't even be cautious about our own sexual reproduction

Pichu · July 16, 2015, 08:23:54 PM

Quote from: Verbatim on July 16, 2015, 08:01:53 PM

i'm not sure what makes you think that, considering we can't even be cautious about our own sexual reproduction

Fair point.
Then the question arises, is advancing our A.I. technology beneficial?
Or will it create a threat down the line?

Deleted · July 16, 2015, 08:29:27 PM

Quote from: Pichuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu on July 16, 2015, 08:23:54 PM

Quote from: Verbatim on July 16, 2015, 08:01:53 PM
i'm not sure what makes you think that, considering we can't even be cautious about our own sexual reproduction
Fair point.
Then the question arises, is advancing our A.I. technology beneficial?
Or will it create a threat down the line?

the biggest problem is that we simply don't know. An artificially created intelligence could decide to do any number of things, it could help us, or conversely it could go Verbatim on us and come to a conclusion that life is a bad thing and should be eliminated, an then hack the whole planet and nuke us.

big sponge · July 16, 2015, 10:13:21 PM

Quote from: Majestic Star Dragon on July 16, 2015, 08:29:27 PM

the biggest problem is that we simply don't know. An artificially created intelligence could decide to do any number of things, it could help us, or conversely it could go Verbatim on us and come to a conclusion that life is a bad thing and should be eliminated, an then hack the whole planet and nuke us.

Ok

ok

this is just a thought here

but what if

what if

we just turned off the computer?

Deleted · July 16, 2015, 10:23:49 PM

Quote from: LC on July 16, 2015, 10:13:21 PM

Quote from: Majestic Star Dragon on July 16, 2015, 08:29:27 PM
the biggest problem is that we simply don't know. An artificially created intelligence could decide to do any number of things, it could help us, or conversely it could go Verbatim on us and come to a conclusion that life is a bad thing and should be eliminated, an then hack the whole planet and nuke us.

Ok

ok

this is just a thought here

but what if

what if

we just turned off the computer?

Well an AI at this point would probably require a supercomputer to run, depending on how it develops itself and the way said supercomputer is set up, it may be able to deny access to it's interface, at which point you'd have to manually cut power to it.

The AI might have the possible capability to upload itself onto somewhere on the net or another active computer or something.

It may be able to do those things, it may not.

The whole point is we don't know how sophisticated a program or machine with true intelligence and the ability to learn and manipulate itself could become or how it may behave, and there lies the issue

big sponge · July 16, 2015, 10:31:15 PM

Quote from: Majestic Star Dragon on July 16, 2015, 10:23:49 PM

Quote from: LC on July 16, 2015, 10:13:21 PM
Quote from: Majestic Star Dragon on July 16, 2015, 08:29:27 PM
the biggest problem is that we simply don't know. An artificially created intelligence could decide to do any number of things, it could help us, or conversely it could go Verbatim on us and come to a conclusion that life is a bad thing and should be eliminated, an then hack the whole planet and nuke us.

Ok

ok

this is just a thought here

but what if

what if

we just turned off the computer?

Well an AI at this point would probably require a supercomputer to run, depending on how it develops itself and the way said supercomputer is set up, it may be able to deny access to it's interface, at which point you'd have to manually cut power to it.

The AI might have the possible capability to upload itself onto somewhere on the net or another active computer or something.

It may be able to do those things, it may not.

The whole point is we don't know how sophisticated a program or machine with true intelligence and the ability to learn and manipulate itself could become or how it may behave, and there lies the issue

Then unplug the thing nigga. A computer like that wouldn't be connected to the rest of the world in all likelihood anyway,

Deleted · July 16, 2015, 10:38:21 PM

Quote from: LC on July 16, 2015, 10:31:15 PM

Quote from: Majestic Star Dragon on July 16, 2015, 10:23:49 PM
Quote from: LC on July 16, 2015, 10:13:21 PM
Quote from: Majestic Star Dragon on July 16, 2015, 08:29:27 PM
the biggest problem is that we simply don't know. An artificially created intelligence could decide to do any number of things, it could help us, or conversely it could go Verbatim on us and come to a conclusion that life is a bad thing and should be eliminated, an then hack the whole planet and nuke us.

Ok

ok

this is just a thought here

but what if

what if

we just turned off the computer?

Well an AI at this point would probably require a supercomputer to run, depending on how it develops itself and the way said supercomputer is set up, it may be able to deny access to it's interface, at which point you'd have to manually cut power to it.

The AI might have the possible capability to upload itself onto somewhere on the net or another active computer or something.

It may be able to do those things, it may not.

The whole point is we don't know how sophisticated a program or machine with true intelligence and the ability to learn and manipulate itself could become or how it may behave, and there lies the issue

Then unplug the thing nigga. A computer like that wouldn't be connected to the rest of the world in all likelihood anyway,

A completely isolated computer environment would be fine,
but another concern scientists have is the possibility of the AI hiding it's actual capabilities until it is provided an opprrtunity to do whatever it intends. or possibly, depending on the intelligence it gains, be able to manipulate people into giving them the opprrtunity.

aREALgod · July 17, 2015, 01:16:41 AM

Quote from: HurtfulTurkey on July 16, 2015, 04:35:45 PM

You could write a java program to do this in like 5 minutes. This is just another example of programs designed to replicate what a self-aware response would be.

Negative Nancy

Saleem · July 17, 2015, 04:04:26 AM

Quote from: LC on July 16, 2015, 10:13:21 PM

Quote from: Majestic Star Dragon on July 16, 2015, 08:29:27 PM
the biggest problem is that we simply don't know. An artificially created intelligence could decide to do any number of things, it could help us, or conversely it could go Verbatim on us and come to a conclusion that life is a bad thing and should be eliminated, an then hack the whole planet and nuke us.

Ok

ok

this is just a thought here

but what if

what if

we just turned off the computer?

This little story sprung to mind.

Spoiler

Dwan Ev ceremoniously soldered the final connection with gold. The eyes of a dozen television cameras watched him and the subether bore throughout the universe a dozen pictures of what he was doing.
He straightened and nodded to Dwar Reyn, then moved to a position beside the switch that would complete the contact when he threw it. The switch that would connect, all at once, all of the monster computing machines of all the populated planets in the universe -- ninety-six billion planets -- into the supercircuit that would connect them all into one supercalculator, one cybernetics machine that would combine all the knowledge of all the galaxies.
Dwar Reyn spoke briefly to the watching and listening trillions. Then after a moment's silence he said, "Now, Dwar Ev."
Dwar Ev threw the switch. There was a mighty hum, the surge of power from ninety-six billion planets. Lights flashed and quieted along the miles-long panel.
Dwar Ev stepped back and drew a deep breath. "The honor of asking the first question is yours, Dwar Reyn."
"Thank you," said Dwar Reyn. "It shall be a question which no single cybernetics machine has been able to answer."
He turned to face the machine. "Is there a God?"
The mighty voice answered without hesitation, without the clicking of a single relay.
"Yes, now there is a God."
Sudden fear flashed on the face of Dwar Ev. He leaped to grab the switch.
A bolt of lightning from the cloudless sky struck him down and fused the switch shut.

big sponge · July 17, 2015, 04:05:30 AM

Quote from: Saleem on July 17, 2015, 04:04:26 AM

Quote from: LC on July 16, 2015, 10:13:21 PM
Quote from: Majestic Star Dragon on July 16, 2015, 08:29:27 PM
the biggest problem is that we simply don't know. An artificially created intelligence could decide to do any number of things, it could help us, or conversely it could go Verbatim on us and come to a conclusion that life is a bad thing and should be eliminated, an then hack the whole planet and nuke us.

Ok

ok

this is just a thought here

but what if

what if

we just turned off the computer?
This little story sprung to mind.
Spoiler
Dwan Ev ceremoniously soldered the final connection with gold. The eyes of a dozen television cameras watched him and the subether bore throughout the universe a dozen pictures of what he was doing.
He straightened and nodded to Dwar Reyn, then moved to a position beside the switch that would complete the contact when he threw it. The switch that would connect, all at once, all of the monster computing machines of all the populated planets in the universe -- ninety-six billion planets -- into the supercircuit that would connect them all into one supercalculator, one cybernetics machine that would combine all the knowledge of all the galaxies.
Dwar Reyn spoke briefly to the watching and listening trillions. Then after a moment's silence he said, "Now, Dwar Ev."
Dwar Ev threw the switch. There was a mighty hum, the surge of power from ninety-six billion planets. Lights flashed and quieted along the miles-long panel.
Dwar Ev stepped back and drew a deep breath. "The honor of asking the first question is yours, Dwar Reyn."
"Thank you," said Dwar Reyn. "It shall be a question which no single cybernetics machine has been able to answer."
He turned to face the machine. "Is there a God?"
The mighty voice answered without hesitation, without the clicking of a single relay.
"Yes, now there is a God."
Sudden fear flashed on the face of Dwar Ev. He leaped to grab the switch.
A bolt of lightning from the cloudless sky struck him down and fused the switch shut.

and then he unplugged the power cord instead

rC · July 17, 2015, 09:21:17 AM

my xbox can distinguish my voice from the sounds it makes. i guess that means my xbox is self aware too.

and my phone.

and my smartwatch.

meta, this is so obviously one of those articles. how did you fall for it?

Verbatim · July 17, 2015, 10:22:36 AM

lol you don't have a smartwatch

rC · July 17, 2015, 10:35:03 AM

Quote from: Verbatim on July 17, 2015, 10:22:36 AM

lol you don't have a smartwatch

i do, got it on sale for 60 bucks. it's a steaming pile of gimmicky garbage, but that's not the point