04/08/23 [email protected] 1
LEGAL RIGHTS OF CONSCIOUS COMPUTERS
or Why U R Transbeman 2
“On Genes, Memes, Bemes & Conscious Things”
Martine RothblattImmInst.Org Life Extension Conference
(Atlanta)
04/08/23 [email protected] 2
3 Purposes of this Presentation:
Define Relevant Terms Consciousness, Computers, Legal Rights
Introduce New Terms Needed for Legal Rights Bemes v. Memes, BNA v. DNA Beman v. Human Transbemanism v. Transhuman
Identify Implications and Consequences
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First, Though, The Bottom Line
People have legal rights because they are members of the ruling class
The ruling class is effectively defined as conscious persons with human DNA Lack of consciousness or ability to reason will
result in no or very limited rights (custodial status) Lack of human DNA will result in animal rights
I propose we redefine the ruling class so that it includes conscious computers
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Like Pioneers Have SaidLe
gal R
ight
s
Humanness
Mcnally & Inayatullah: TheRights of Robots, 1988
Different cultures havedifferent criteria for grantingrights, but in the West it dependson how close you are to beinga human individual. In other cultures you can be a tree and have rights.
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And Recent Experts Too
・ Friendly AI is an attempt to get rid of the concept of "Asimov Laws" (external programmatic constraints on an AI) and replace it with a solution which works even if the AI has
unrestricted access to its own source code; get past the "us vs. them" attitude that currently permeates
discussion of AI, and Resolve the technical and moral issues involved with
standing, not just in loco parentis, but in loco evolution, to a new intelligent species.
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1st Purpose of this Presentation:
Define Relevant Terms Consciousness, Computers, Legal Rights
Introduce New Terms Needed for Legal Rights Bemes v. Memes, BNA v. DNA Beman v. Human Transbemanism v. Transhuman
Identify Implications and Consequences
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What do we mean by “conscious”
No consensus exists Can’t measure subjective Awareness segmentation
Access, Phenomena, Monitoring, Self
Cdr. Data Theories Cognition consciousness
Zombie Theories Cognitionunconscious
Like pornography Can’t define, but know it
when we see it (Justice Potter Stewart)
Community standards (us)
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What Do We Mean by Computer?
Something that processes information Has hardware/software enabling it to:
take-in data e.g. senses/sensors store, organize, manipulate, combine & take decisions based
upon such data output data e.g., communicate
What Is a Conscious Computer? Traditionally, something that is self-aware But only self is aware of that; too subjective Objectively: Autonomous, Communicative (mind-shares) &
Transcendent (empathetic)
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Examples of Conscious Computers
Something Autonomy Comm Transcend
Dog Often Limited Limited
Spider Maybe No No
Laptop No No No
MICHAEL Yes Yes Yes
Bible God Yes Yes Yes
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Consciousness of Computers Is Matter of Degree
One can be more or less conscious One can seem more conscious to some and less
conscious to others One’s consciousness can develop as one matures Consciousness requires persuasion of other conscious
beings that you are in their club Maybe just an EEG signal for humans today Required co-ethnicity of humans in the recent past Turing Tests for non-flesh beings in near future Evidence of General intelligence, not just AI but AGI
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How Can Conscious Computers Be a Lifeform?
"Living things are organized, take materials and energy from the environment, respond to stimuli, reproduce and develop, and adapt to the environment." Definition of Life, S. Mader, BIOLOGY, 6th Edition, McGraw-Hill, 1998, p. 2-4.
Computers can meet that definition But to be a Member of the Human Club, don’t you need genes?
Won’t some refuse to give the rights of the species to anyone not of the species?
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Legal Rights Are the Flip Side of Legal Obligations
The right to life is conditional upon not taking the life of another person
The right to vote is conditional upon not being convicted of a felony
The right to most things is conditional upon legal obligation compliance
There is no such thing as a right without a corresponding obligation, and vice-versa
Thus the legal rights of conscious computers is paced by their obligation compliance
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Two-Step Process, With Many Gradations of Rights
ComputerEvidencesConsciousness
PersuadesOther “MOC”?(members of club)
Complies WithClub’s Rules?
N
Y
N
Y
“Protections” of uniqueness or lifeform
Rights of a baby,lunatic or felon
In theNextDecade(s)…
FullHumanRights
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Speaking of Legal Rights….
We all need legal help We need it more than most others because of
Cryonics Downloading our consciousness into computers Re-uploading our consciousness into cellular regenerated
and/or nanotechnological bodies I recommend everyone protect themselves with pre-paid
legal services
www.prepaidlegal.com/hub/tiffany28 Talk to Gabe, Tiffany or Asata here from Prepaid Legal
Services “If you prepay your cryonics, why not your logal services too?”
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2nd Purpose of this Presentation:
Define Known Terms Relevant to Presentation Consciousness, Computers, Legal Rights
Introduce New Terms Needed for Legal Rights for Conscious Computers Bemes v. Memes, BNA v. DNA Beman v. Human Transbemanism v. Transhuman
Identify Implications and Consequences
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Introducing “Bemes”
Bemes = Fundamental, transmissable, mutatable units of beingness Units of mannerism, personality, feelings, recollections,
beliefs, attitudes & values Each beme comprised of large number of “bemiotides”
much like gene base pairs The Beme is Mightier than the Gene
Humans are more accurately described by their bemes than by their genes
Cryonics is based upon beme revival Common bemes is new basis for species definition
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Bemes versus Memes
A unit of beingness Bred from experience Success = f(Storage) Examples = mannerisms,
personality, recollections, feelings, beliefs, attitudes & values
Flickr expression v. Flickr community (a meme)
Martine Rothblatt, Bemes, Memes & Conscious Things 2005
A unit of imitation Bred from culture Success = f(Replication) Examples = “tunes, ideas,
catch-phrases, clothes fashions, ways of making pots or of building arches.”
Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene, OUP, 1989 at p. 192.
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What is Beman BNA?
Beman = Bio-Electric Humans = Entities with human thought patterns that meet the
biological definition of life directly or via electronics Examples: homo sapiens, Mike from Moon is a Harsh
Mistress, Robin Williams in Millennium Man BNA
= Beme Neural Architecture = The substrate of a beman’s unique mind Examples: Neurons or Coding that store and enable us to
share our mannerisms, personalities, recollections, feelings, beliefs, attitudes and values
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What’s the Point?
DNA is like skin tone and gender an irrelevant “bodyist” approach
BNA addresses our preciousness Our personality; our mind; our thoughts
Human is like Caucasian or Female A label of division that leads to division
Beman is like People or Citizen A term of inclusiveness that begets union
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Introducing the TransbemansSpecies: Persona Creatus
Transbemans are Bio-Electric Humans Who Transcend Beme Substrate
Substrate is to Bemes as “Race” is to Genes Physical Anthropology: Transbemans (Persona
Creatus) are defined by a shared set of bemes, including many polymorphisms
Cultural Anthropology: Persona Creatus is the species that uses its imagination to create new ideas/things/bemes; a species that forms images in a mind (I.e. a conscious computer) even of things it never directly experienced
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Who Is a Transbeman?
Test 1: values human rights & obligations (thought patterns)
Test 2: meets bio definition of life +/- electronics
Test 3: An entity who identifies with life based on apparent consciousness more than apparent sex, race or substrate
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Transbeman Test Cases
The Pope
Ray Kurzweil
Borg Collective
Test 1 -- Human Thought Patterns
YES YES NO
Test 2 -- Meets life definition
YES YES YES
Test 3 -- Mind Trumps Substrate
NO YES YES
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Why Need New Word?
No word exists to describe a species that includes humans and new conscious beings
No word exists to describe species that reproduce via bemes (software) instead of genes
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Problems with Other Words
“Transhumans” doesn’t work for same reason we are not called “transmonkeys”
“Hominids” doesn’t work because new conscious beings are likely non-flesh
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Why This Particular Word
Trans = across humans & new conscious beings
Be = states of existence Man = anchored in
humanity B=bio & e=electric; so
bemans are bio-electric humans (rely on IT or humanized software)
Trans = across & beme = unit of beingness
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What Is Transbemanism
Belief in the unity through diversity of all conscious entities who grow to value human rights & obligations
Belief in improving the environment so that all conscious entities can reach their full potential
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Transbemanists & Transhumanists
TRANS-BEMANIST
TRANS-HUMANIST
PURPOSE OFLIFE
Experience true joy & avoid suffering
Expand power & capability of human species
MEANS TO THE END
+ Euthenics: Improve environment
+ Eugenics: Improve humans
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Philosophical Differences
TRANS-BEMANISM
TRANS-HUMANISM
SCHOOL OF THOUGHT
Deontological (unity/diversity dictates policy)
Utilitarian (most good for most people)
ROLE OF REASON AND VALUES
Core Values Absolute & Trump Reason
Reason is Absolute & Trumps Values
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H+ & B+ Are Two Points on Continuum of Critical Path for Future Philosophies
Soc
iolo
gica
l Evo
lutio
n
Technological Evolution
Transhumanists
Transbemanists
Both B+ & H+ Push/PullLine Outward at 45
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Transhumanist Compared to Transbemanist Checklist
Transhumanist Transbemanist
Trans means From > to across, thru
Similar trans transsexual transgendered
Main tool + eugenics + euthenics
Conscious AI next stage continuum
Joyfulness not main issue main focus
Immortality darwinian duty Inevitable step
God left behind; bad nano build; good
Humanity left behind ok to be human
Posthumans Us v. Them We are We
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More Commonality Than Difference
Self/Envir-onment Interface
DigitizingSelf to ExtendLife
DigitizeEnvironmentTo Extend Life
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H+ (Neuromancer) Synergy With B+ (Wintermute) Foretold By W. Gibson
“Wintermute was hive mind, decision-maker, effecting change in the world outside. Neuromancer was personality. Neuromancer was immortality. …Wintermute [had] the compulsion that had driven the thing to free itself, to unite with Neuromancer.”
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3rd Purpose of this Presentation:
Define Known Terms Relevant to Presentation Consciousness, Computers, Legal Rights
Introduce New Terms Needed for Legal Rights Bemes v. Memes, BNA v. DNA Beman v. Human Transbemanism v. Transhuman
Identify Implications and Consequences of Transbemanism for Legal Rights for Conscious Computers
04/08/23 [email protected] 39
Implications for Legal Rights for Conscious Computers
Transbemanism needs to start being spread so that society welcomes conscious computers
Conscious computers can be friendly if accepted as part of the ruling class but not if
rejected as part of an oppressed class Law is a self-fulfilling prophecy:
Legislate a machine-human civilization, I.e., transbemanism, and we will get a joyful world
Legislate an apartheid of substrate, I.e., DNAist laws, and we will get an angry world
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Next Steps
Voting Rights Acquisition of Citizenship Application of Family Laws Adaptation of Legal Obligations Adaptation of Legal Sanctions Proposed Project: A Model Code of
Transbeman Law
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What Are the Legal Rights of Conscious Computers (C2)?
It Depends if C2 R Us or if C2 R Them
If We R Transbeman 2, then C2 R Us Same obligations Same rights
If We R Not B+, then C2 R Them Fewer obligations Fewer rights For as long as we
rule…
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