AI Ethics

Artificial Immortality: Honoring or Replacing our Parents?

Is there a way to achieve (artificial) immortality? What would that look like?

This month’s Wired featured an article where journalist James Vlahos sought to immortalize his dying father by creating a chatbot that would mimic his dad’s knowledge, expressions and speech mannerisms. His moving account provided rich material for reflection.

For a good portion of the article, the journalist recounts in detail the process of deciding and executing his idea. It took months of preparations, interviews and countless hours of programming. While some machine learning was used, the bulk of the work laid on his own knowledge of his father. He wanted to ensure the bot would respond in a way that would make the user feel like he was talking to the father. He even ensured the grammatical construction of sentences would reflect his father’s speech.

Even more interesting than the process itself were the questions that emerged as his project progressed. How would he and other family members feel about the bot after his father was gone? Would they feel like talking to the bot or would it creep them out? His personal project is a powerful anecdote of this new era where machines are increasingly acquiring human traits.

It is not just about how the machines are changing but even more importantly, how we respond to them. There are those who will interact the bot and be able to compare with the human person the bot was made to emulate. Yet, what about the grandkids who will have a greater exposure to the bot than to their actual grandfather? What type of relationship will they develop with the chatbot? Could the chatbot become its own entity, somewhat independent from the human it was built to emulate?

Honoring Our Fathers Through Technology

Last week, I received my cousin’s first book in the mail. In it, he recounts his journey to uncover details about the torture his parents suffered by the repressive Brazilian dictatorship in the early 1970’s. Besides having national significance as the country seeks to come to grips with that dark period of their history, the story is very personal to our family. Yet, what impressed me the most was his desire to make his parents story known so his children would not forget. In some ways, it was a book to honor his parents’ story, ensuring their memory would outlive them.

This desire to memorialize our parents is not new. In the Hebrew Scriptures, it is codified in the fifth commandment: “Thou shall honor thy father and thy mother.” Could this honoring now be done through these new technologies? As the Wired article demonstrated, it certainly can. In some ways, it is the next step in our current ways of memorializing our ancestors with pictures, books and videos. What makes this new stage unique is how these objects can now interact with us. When we look at videos and pictures, they are fixed snapshots of a past. Our feelings toward them may change but they themselves are static. Yet, as machine learning advances and AI takes on voice and possibly a physical appearance we now have the possibility to not just recall memories but actually create new ones. In fact, a well trained AI could create new content never spoken by the original human. It is, in one sense, the closest we have to bringing the dead back to life.

Memorializing or Idolizing?

It is at this point that I wonder whether our memorializing can quickly descend into idolizing. Let me explain. I wonder at what point the creation meant to resemble our ancestor becomes an independent entity that we relate to and revere. The warning in Scriptures about idolizing is always about replacing the real for the fake. Venerating the fake god instead of the real God. In the same way, could these artificial creations meant to resemble our real ancestors come to replace them in our memory and in our experience? How ironic that in an effort to memorialize somebody we could actually speed up the process to forget and replace them.

Thankfully, these technologies are still in their rudimentary stage so we can start asking these questions now. As the technology improves, it will become increasingly difficult to separate the real person from their artificial creation. So the question becomes, to what extent do we want to use this technology to honor our parents without fully replacing their memory with an artificial image of their real selves? What do you think?

Why Is Artificial Intelligence All Over The News Lately?

AI hype has come and gone in the past. Why is back on the spotlight now? I will answer this question by describing the three main trends that are driving the AI revolution.

Artificial Intelligence has been around since the 1950’s. Yet after much promise and fanfare, AI entered a winter period in the 80’s where investment, attention and enthusiasm greatly diminished. Why has this technology re-emerged in the last few years? What has changed? In this blog, I will answer this question by describing the three main trends that are driving the AI revolution: breakthroughs in computing power, the emergence of big data and advances in machine learning algorithms. These three trends converged to catapult AI to the spotlight.

Computing Power Multiplies

When neural networks (the first algorithm to be considered Artificial Intelligence) were theorized and developed, the computers of the time did not have the processing power to effectively run them. The science was far ahead of the technology, therefore delaying its testing and improvement for later years.

Thanks to Moore’s law, we are now in a place where computing power is affordable, available and effective enough for some of these algorithms to be tested. My first computer in the early 90’s had 128K of RAM memory. Today, we have thumb drives with 100,000 the size of this memory! Even so, there are still ways to go as these algorithms can still be resource-expensive with existing hardware. Yet, as system architects leverage distributed computing and chip manufacturers experiment with quantum computing, AI will become even more viable. The main point is that some of these algorithms can now be tested even if it takes hours or days when before that was inconceivable.

Data Gets Big

With smartphones, tablets and digital sensors becoming common in our lives, the amount of data available has grown exponentially. Just think about how much data you generate in one day anytime you use your phone, computer and/or enter retail stores. This is just a few examples of data being collected on an individual. For another example, consider the amount of data collected and stored by large corporations on customers’ transactions on a daily basis.

Why is this relevant? The AI is only as good as the data fed into it for learning. A great example is the data available for Google in searches and catalogued websites. That is why Google can use Artificial Intelligence to translate texts. It does that by simply comparing translation of large bodies of texts. This way, it can transcend a word-by-word translation rules to understand colloquialism and probable meaning of words based on context. It is not as good as human translation but fast becoming comparable with it.

There is more. Big data is about to get bigger because of the Internet of Things (IoT). This new technology expands data capture beyond phones and tablets to all types of appliances. Think about a fridge that tells you when the milk is about to expire. As sensors and processors spread to all electronics, the amount of data available for AI applications will grow exponentially.

Machine Learning Comes of Age

The third trend comes from recent breakthroughs proving the effectiveness of Machine Learning algorithms. This is the very foundation of AI Technology because it enables computers to detect patterns from data without being programmed to do so. Even as computing power improved and data became abundant, the technology was mostly untested in real-life examples breeding skepticism from scientists and investors. In 2012, a computer was able to identify cats accurately from watching YouTube videos using deep learning algorithms. The experiment was hailed as a major breakthrough for computer vision. Success stories like this and others like it brought machine learning to the spotlight. These algorithms started getting attention not just from the academic community but also from investors and CEO’s. Investment in Artificial Intelligence has significantly increased since then and is now projected to reach $47 Billion by 2020. Now there was both abundance of data and enough computing power to process it, machine learning could finally be effectively used. These trends paved the way for Artificial Intelligence to become a viable possibility again.

Pulling All Together

These trends have turned Artificial Intelligence from a fixture of science fiction to a present reality we must contend with. This has not happened overnight but emerged through a convergence of technological advances that created a ripe environment for AI to flourish. As they came together, the media, politicians and industry titans started to notice. Hence, that’s why your Twitter feed is exploding with AI-related articles.

Because the trends leading the emergence of AI show no sign of slowing down, this is probably only the beginning of an AI springtime. While there are events that could derail this virtuous cycle, the forecast is for continuous advancement in the years and possibly decades to come. So, for now, the attention and enthusiasm is bound to stay steady for the foreseeable future.

As AI applications are being tested by large companies and start-ups alike, this is the time to start asking the right questions about how it will impact our future. The good news is that there is still time to steer the advance of AI towards human flourishing. Hence, let the conversation around it continue. I hope the attention engendered by the media will keep us engaged, active and curious on this topic.

Are You Ready for Sexbots? How AI is Changing Intimacy

Very rarely do the words sex and theology appear in the same blog title. Yet, here we are.

Sexbots: The Final Step in Human Machine Relationships

In a previous blog I discussed how Intelligent Agents could eventually develop romantic relationships with humans. Yet, these relationships were mostly platonic imaginations. Sexbots are the next level, where robots can actually relate to humans in physical ways, including intimacy. How close are we from this reality? An expert from the Pew research predicted that robot relationships would be common by 2025. David Levy predicts that by 2050 marriage to robots will be legal. Mind blowing, indeed! Note that these predictions don’t just point to an outlier market of men seeking pleasure with robots as they are unable to do so with women. Instead, it foresees a world in which these relationships will become common place.

What are these sexbots? They started as hyper-realist dolls fabricated primarily for men. Now, as AI technologies advance, they are adding an interface in the head that can speak and learn his human companion’s desires. They are also starting to develop the outlines of a personality intended to create an emotional bond with the human companion. Yet, all this integration is in its very early stages. At this point, some of these dolls send me right into the uncanny valley, that point in which robots are human enough to catch your attention but still robotic enough to be creepy.

As these issues still need to be worked out, it is not too early to start considering a future in which some of us engage in romantic relationships with robots. In this scenario, we have left the world of Her to enter the badlands of Westworld.

Is This For Real?

My first reaction to this trend was to dismiss it as an abnormality. Surely, only a small group of lonely men would even consider such possibility. Who would exchange a real human with a heartless machine? As discussed before, the level of AI available is no where close to human (or live) intelligence but only a highly mimicked form of it. Yet, the more I thought about it, the more I understood the appeal of it.

The state of human marriage is in disarray to say the least. Moreover, in most Western societies, livelihood is secure and procreation is no longer a necessity. Individuals are free to pursue personal goals and meet every other need without another human being. Fantasy is available in a click of a mouse, a screen of a device or even surreal glasses. In these societies, whole industries have emerged to meet individual needs that relationships have become more of an option than a necessity.

We been in this road for a while, the road towards total independence, where sexbots are not even a destination but only another milestone in this journey toward hyper-isolation.

How Do We Respond?

I started this blog series as a follow up to a call for Christian leaders to enter the AI conversation. In this context, maybe sexbots are less of an absurdity but more of a cry for help. If this is where we are going, maybe it is time to stop this ship and re-think our trajectory. The point here is not to scream loud about the immorality of sexbots when most of Christian men already struggle with two-dimensional pornography. Yes, this is a sin issue but maybe there is a deeper wound to be addressed. A cry for true relationship sorely missing in our families and churches. Maybe the biggest gift technology can give in this junction is to expose the height from which we have fallen.

It is time to offer alternatives through healthy long-lasting relationships. This does not only apply to marriages, but also friendships and above all Christian fellowship. May we never have to resort to any sort of artificial relationship. My hope is that human relationships in our lives will always be enough. God did not create men and women to be alone. As Christians, we believe the very being of God is a community in the Trinity. We are called to love each other and to invite all into redemptive community.

We can never afford to outsource this job to a machine.

I pray we never will.

Chatbots: How AI is Changing Relationships

In my previous blog, I discussed how algorithmic matchmaking was changing how people choose their spouse. In this blog, I want to explore how AI is actually displacing human relationships. While the first example shows some evidence of improving the quality of marriages, the examples in this part are more worrisome. Chatbots are slowly taking on human-like functions in a speed that is alarming. In the near future, they could not only displace human relations but also deteriorate existing ones.

In need of conversation, how about chatting with a bot?

Chat bots and intelligent agents are the first level where this type of displacement is happening. The idea here is a computer interface that responds to us in human-like form. Chatbots for example are increasingly being used by companies to address customer service needs. Instead of talking to a real person, you can interact with an intelligent application that responds to your needs and answers your questions. While this can be an effective way to solve customer problems, this introduces a new paradigm into human-machine relationships. Our interaction with machines have been limited to very narrow band of actions in which we often have to structure our communication to machine-specified parameters. That is, we had to learn the code language or press the right button to get a response from the computer. Intelligent chat-bots do that work for us. We speak/type our problem and they reason its way into a solution.

Siri is the most popular examples of these intelligent agent. Yet the video below shows how Luna is much smarter than Siri spelling the future of what chat bots will be like in a few years.

Luna is a non-profit AI aimed at solving world problems like teaching math in rural areas and other humanitarian projects. This project deserves a blog on its own. For now, I will leave you with the link to the robot without borders organization and Luna’s creator if you want to learn more.

Intelligent agents like Luna go beyond fulfilling mundane needs, being able to engage in deep conversations about Philosophy, Religion, Metaphysics and even Theology. The computer goes from being technological slave to becoming a conversation partner. One that is able to dive into the complexities of the human experience. In this way, it is not far-fetched to foresee humans developing deep emotional bonds to these machines, even stronger than those we have with animals today. The movie Her depicts a future scenario in which humans have romantic relationships with these intelligent agents. Are we ready for this scenario?

Can chatbots make us less lonely?

As chatbots become more advanced as in the case of Luna, people will start seeking them for higher needs of companionship and affection. This trend in itself is concerning. A programmed companion made to cater to all our needs it is the antithesis of a healthy human relationship of give-and-take. My suspicion is that this could eventually shape our relationship with other humans by fostering unrealistic relational demands from each other. It could also lead to some to greater isolation as his or her emotional needs are increasingly met by artificially intelligent machines. Not all would be negative, as these applications could provide much-needed support for those who struggle with depression and other mental illness. It will all depend on how we use these technologies. As long as we keep on asking the question: How can this technology foster human flourishing? This should keep us as a guide for future un-foreseen scenarios.

What’s next?

What about physical needs? All examples above represent a disembodied interaction. What if there was a body involved? What if you could have sex with a machine? Well, sexbots are now being developed. This is a concerning trend that I will grapple with on my next blog.

AIgorithmic Matchmaking: How AI is Changing Marriage

In a previous post, I mentioned that AI was changing relationships. In this multi-part blog, I want to delve further on this topic to describe how AI is changing marriages. I will focus on algorithmic matchmaking which is present in dating sites like e-Harmony. Because these online dating sites have been around for a while, the idea of using technology for matchmaking has gained some social acceptance. However, from a historic perspective, this is nothing short of revolutionary. For centuries we have resorted to family members, traditions and even our own whims for finding our mate. Now this is being done through Artificial Intelligence. While e-Harmony arranged marriages account for a small portion of marriages (only about 4% at the moment), given our dismal record on divorces, I see adoption of this method to continue to grow in the coming years.

Before criticizing this trend as another example of technological over-reach, it is important to understand how these applications work. To enter the company’s database, the spouse-to-be needs to answer over 150 questions about themselves. This includes personal preferences, demographic (gender, age, place or residence), and behavioral data based on website click-data. This data is then aggregated with other users and historical data. The data is fed into machine learning algorithm that then assign different weights to each factors making it possible to quantify how compatible two users are to each other. So for example, if the historical data shows that male Nascar fans tend to stay together with females that like Harley-Davidson bikes, then users with these traits score higher in compatibility and are more likely to be paired together. The model analyzes hundreds of traits in this manner producing a final compatibility score between pairs of users.

What is different about e-Harmony is that they actually track their relationships success and are able to feed that knowledge into their models. In other words, they are able to match people based on how successful marriages were for similar past versions of these new users. With 16 years of data, the models should have a solid baseline for compatibility. Also, unlike other dating sites, e-Harmony does not allow the user to look for dates. They are limited to the matched produced by the algorithm. That is, they trust that their model is better than the user him/herself in looking for long-lasting relationships. If their numbers are to be believed, divorce rate of e-Harmony couples is around 3.8%. Now, I would sure love to see whether these numbers hold out over a period of decades.

While I am not privy to all the variables and methodology used by the site, their approach seems sound. They are basically quantifying data available from both their user base and psychological research on the topic and making that wisdom available to relationship seekers. It is as if you could evaluate a large number of marriages at once to try to figure out what works and what doesn’t. Certainly, a computer would do that job better than just relying on one person’s experience. While we are limited to our own experience and others around it, models can aggregate results from thousands of people. I see this approach expanding beyond dating site to becoming an enhancement for matchmaking in the offline world.

This does not mean all marriage partners should be chosen through this process. The model’s foundational idea is that marriages live or die because of compatibility. That may not be the deciding factor for all marriages. Also, people change in ways that questionnaires cannot capture. Moreover, even if the approach proves out effective over-time, I don’t see entire societies changing century-old traditions to adopt this new way of choosing mates. Technology changes fast, people not so much.

This is the first part of this blog where we explore how AI is impacting relationships. In this case, we have an example of AI altering relationship between humans. The next level of impact is how AI is reinventing machines interfaces in a way that may displace human relationships. This is AI not enhancing but actually replacing human interaction.

This is when things get complicated.

5 Things Christian Leaders Need To Know About AI

AI is fast becoming part of our lives.

So what?

While it is easy to see how this technology is relevant to IT professionals, business leaders and geeks (like myself), how does it impact those pursuing Christian ministry? In this blog, I put forth the five main reasons why I think Christian leaders should be paying attention to AI (and why I started a blog about it).

1. AI Will Directly Impact Those You Minister To

Professionals in all areas will experience some type of disruption because of the rise of AI. Drivers, accountants and loan officers may become unemployed. Lawyers will have to re-learn to practice their profession alongside digital assistants. Business leaders will face competitive pressures to adopt AI technologies or see their business become obsolete. They may not identify AI as the culprit yet they will feel the distress caused by it and will be in search for answers.

Disruption is bound to cause anxiety, confusion and fear. While the church has been in the business of comforting the afflicted for centuries, we have not always done this in an informed manner. Understanding the implications of the upcoming 4th industrial revolution to come from these technologies can help you better speak to the lives of those affected by it. Not all of it will be negative, in fact much will be positive. Yet, fast change has a way to disorient us often causing us to resist it.

2. AI is Changing How We Relate to Each Other

As computers become more human-like, relationships are taking a new dimension. In a time where isolation increases, many will be looking for virtual companionship. What one could only find through human interaction will now become possible with highly intelligent machines. This can take place in many ways such as acquiring a companion robot, finding partners or friends through AI enhanced applications to pursuing intimacy with sexbots. The movie Her depicts a world where people engage in monogamous relationships with AI applications. This will become possible in the near future.

If you think gay marriage is a challenge, try marriage with robots? Experts predict that marriage to robots will become legal by 2050. If your parishioner wants to marry his/her android, will you officiate it? While this is still far off, the transition to this reality will start now as computer interfaces become more personable.

3. AI Can be Conduit for Missions and Incarnational Ministries

While AI will eliminate jobs, it will also foster new industries that don’t exist today. As AI applications become more common, there will be a tremendous demand for people with the skills to operate, fix and create tools based on these technologies. The education for these jobs does not exist and only a handful of degrees can prepare you to thrive in these new professions. This is truly where the church has a great opportunity by moving into this area early. Some AI professionals may already sit in your pews. Maybe it is time you invite them for coffee.

This could work for Christians of all denominations. Evangelicals could enter new missionary frontiers through business as mission that introduce this technology to developing countries. Mainliners could devise vibrant incarnational ministries around AI education and social empowerment. These are just a few examples but you get the picture. If the future of opportunity is in AI, then let’s carve out a space to live out the gospel in it.

4. AI Can Take The Study of Scriptures to a Whole New Level

AI can take your Bible software to a whole new level. Through natural language processing algorithms, we will soon be able to detect sentiment, do in-depth research in large bodies of texts and even summarize the life-work of great theologians in a matter of instants. We will move away from word searches to the researching ideas or themes implicit in the text. Imagine you want to prepare a message in the theme of joy. Not only you’ll be able to find all verses that contain the word joy but also actual examples where Biblical characters felt joy even if the words themselves were not spelled out. You will also be able to find passages with joyful tones through sentiment analysis. Suddenly, you will have many new avenues to explore the biblical text which before would require painstaking work to accomplish.

The possibilities do not end in research but also extend to producing new content. While the AI preacher is still a far cry, soon you will be able to enlist AI in crafting life-changing sermons and/or analyzing past sermons in new ways. By training AI applications with past sermons, the computer could create new sermons that align with your past style and theological emphasis. It is not that you would outsource the creative process to a software but using it could enhance your ability to communicate effectively. In short, new tools will be available for those who enjoy in-depth studies or want to improve on their communication skills.

5. AI Needs Christian Voices in the Conversation

Historically, Christians have been notorious in entering social conversations late. When we do it, our response is reactive, uninformed and grossly ineffective. My hope is that we address this challenge differently. While we are firmly grounded in the past through tradition, that should not hinder us from walking boldly into the future. The emergence of AI has profound implications to our humanity. Some even believe that our identity as a species will be altered. All of this is uncharted territory fraught with obstacles and great ethical dilemmas. If we believe our faith has something to say as humanity experiments with super intelligence then we need to make our voices heard.

This blog and is here to do exactly that – empower you to engage in this topic in an informed and faithful manner. Our vision is to shorten the learning curve so people like you can enter the conversation pro-actively. Check out our resources and past blogs and feel free to share this with other leaders.

The challenge to live the Christian life in an AI world is staring at our faces. Let’s hear the voices of our cloud of witnesses beckoning us to live for Christ faithfully in this present context. This starts by entering the conversation.

Will you heed the call?

Can Companion Robots Heal Our Loneliness?

Can companion robots improve the social life of the elderly? That is what Intuition robotics wants you to believe with their new product: ELI Q. This sociable robot interacts with their users reminding them to take their meds, call friends and even to play games. Their rationale is compelling. With an aging population and longer life-spans, using AI to prevent social isolation is a clever idea. The question is, of course, how much is it really incumbent on the user to seek out these interactions?

Not in ELI Q’s demographic, no worries, there are plenty of other sociable robot options for you. Meet Buddy, the companion robot for everyone. He will remind you of Rosie of the Jetsons. He can protect your home, play your music, display facial expressions and more. This project also has a social component in that it proposes to democratize robotics by using an open source platform. That point caught my attention since making robotics technology accessible could be a game-changer for developing countries. Using technology for human advancement is always an attractive proposition.

Now for the future of companion robots, going from cute to human-like, check out Nadine. This human-looking bot goes right past the uncanny valley. That is, she looks human enough not to give us the creeps. She also stands out by having advanced emotional intelligence able to detect emotions through our facial expressions and recall past conversations. Her creators also believe her to be a good companion for those with dementia or autism.

These are glimpses of a coming future where robots will increasingly become part of our lives. Given the acute social isolation many suffer from in our time, social robots offer a promising solution. Yet, can they really provide the relational warmth mostly found in human relationships? That remains to be seen. If, like in the first example, the robot is a conduit to strengthen existing relationships, than this could be a form of enhancement rather than replacement. However, judging by the last example, the line gets blurry. My hope is that we start reflecting on these issues now rather than once these technologies come to commercial fruition. The best interaction with technology is one shaped by human wisdom.

What are your thoughts? Would you consider acquiring a social robot? If so, why?

Who gets to decide our future?

Business insider published a provocative article suggesting a transition to come where our devices will progress from being detached to wearable, and eventually to implanted. Elon Musk just launched Neuralink, a company seeking to develop a neural lace that could upload our thoughts. Sweedish startup Epicenter is now implanting microchips in their employees to act as cards so they can open doors and pay for a smoothie. Can this be the beginning of a whole new industry that wants to shape us into cyborgs?

This is not scientific fiction anymore but part of a near future. Technology is basically the outgrowth of humanity’s desire to create tools. Tools are extensions of our bodies so we can perform tasks more proficiently. Yet, these technologies are taking tools to a different level: they are no longer extensions but would become actual parts of our bodies. This is clearly a new frontier we have scarcely considered.

As business titans imagine this cyborg scenario, the question I want to ask is who gets to decide our future? Just look at how our lives now are shaped by the gadgets that surround us. Are ready to accept them as part of our bodies? In a vacuum of vision, the future belongs to the few who dare imagine it now. Maybe it is time we step into these conversations and start imagining alternative futures.

Are you ready to imagine?

Category: AI Ethics