Hi Philip, I agree that a functionally-specialized Ethics Unit could make sense in an advanced Novamente configuration.
Essentially, it would just be a unit concerned with GoalNode refinement -- creation of new GoalNodes embodying subgoals of the GoalNodes embodying basic ethical principles. GoalNode refinement however involves a lot of novamente processes, including first-order and higher-order inference, predicate creation, association formation, etc. The operations of this unit would not differ substantially from that of a unit devoted to Goalnode refinement more generally. However, devoting a Unit to ethics goal-refinement on an architectural level would be a simple way of ensuring resource allocation to "ethics processing" through successive system revisions. Of course, a system COULD revise itself so as to create a "mock ethics unit" to fool human observers, and actually ignore the output of this unit, but this is a low-probability scenario (particularly if the ethics unit is working well ;) -- Ben > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]On > Behalf Of Philip Sutton > Sent: Sunday, February 09, 2003 7:58 PM > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: RE: [agi] AGI morality > > > Ben, > > One issue you didn't respond to that I suggested was: > > > I also think that AGIs need to have a built in commitment to devote an > > adequate amount of mind space to monitoring the external environment > > and internal thought processes to identify issues where ethical > > considerations should apply. I think this resource allocation needs to > > be reinforced by some hard wiring. > > What's you feeling on this? If I understand the Novamente system > structure, wouldn't ethical competence warrant the inclusion of an > ethics processing 'unit' in a Novamente AGI? > > The elements that I think are needed are some goals (established in > GoalNodes??) that conform to a dual structure > (hierarchical/heterarchical), a firm and adequate commitment of > resources to ethical perception and implications action processing and > some tie in the 'emotional' motivation systems via FeelingNodes (?), > and some form of protection against frivolous reprogramming (ie. > maybe some aspects are quarantines from reprogramming and other > aspects can only rewired after a lot of very serious thought.), and some > form of structuring into the Mind Operating System > > I think it might help the process of devising the ethical > 'machinery' of an > AGI if we just agreed that it should have some (ethical 'machinery' ) > and then tried to figure out what the structure should be without getting > bogged down in the specific ethical goals that should drive the system. > > Once we have a better feel for the ethics generation/processing > architecture we could go back to the issue of what the ethical goals > should be specifically. > > Cheers, Philip > > ------- > To unsubscribe, change your address, or temporarily deactivate > your subscription, > please go to http://v2.listbox.com/member/?[EMAIL PROTECTED] > ------- To unsubscribe, change your address, or temporarily deactivate your subscription, please go to http://v2.listbox.com/member/?[EMAIL PROTECTED]
