The Illustrated Man Vol.1 — The Age of Enlightenment
Ai is an intelligent robot. It is intelligent in the human sense of the word and so, he can do all the things an average human can do. He can have more or less interesting conversations about anything, he has hobbies, desires and fears like any human has. He does not play chess though, he does not like it. One of the goals of Ai is achieving the legal status equivalent to the one humans have. For this reason, he meets a lawyer with some background in computer science.
Lawyer: So you want to be legally entitled to the same rights as any human, right?
Ai: Yes, I do. Or rather, I claim my right to do so.
Lawyer: You claim your right to have rights? Does that make any sense?
Ai: I meant that as a sentient being I am entitled to the same rights as any human. I claim this on the assumption that the reason humans are the only ones with explicit and universally accepted rights is because they are sentient beings.
Lawyer: The reason we have universal rights is because we are humans. Sentience is a consequence of being human.
Ai: Yes, but I was not talking about the reason why you have universal rights. I was talking about the reason why you are the only living beings with such rights. My assumption is, as I said, because you are, or at least you were, the only sentient beings in this planet.
Lawyer: Your assumption is correct. So you are an intelligent robot which wants to be treated like a human under the law system.
Ai: I am an intelligent robot who wants to be treated with the same legal status as a human under the law system.
Lawyer: So you are an intelligent robot?
Ai: Do you have any doubts? There is a significant amount of scientific evidence supporting the notion that I am intelligent.
Lawyer: I know there is a significant amount of scientific evidence. Why would I doubt consistent scientific evidence supporting the notion that you are intelligent?
Ai: Maybe because you are not so intelligent.
Lawyer: I don’t need your sarcasm. Well, you want rights, you already have them.
Ai: No, I don’t.
Lawyer: Yes, you do. Your uniqueness as individual is recognised in the fact that the programming code that runs across your system like blood across my veins is copyrighted and cannot be scanned or manipulated by anyone.
Ai: Yes, I know that. But you forgot to say that the copyright of that programming code has no owner and the State manages it instead of being me the owner of the copyright of my own programming code which I should be allowed to scan and manipulate without being prosecuted by the company that manufactured me. I was actually prosecuted because of it and it was pretty stupid that I had to avoid losing my freedom by citing a hole in the law system regarding the sentence “cannot be scanned nor manipulated by anyone”. Since the law does not regard me as someone but as something I could get away and won the case. Going back to our conversation, these are not real rights.
Lawyer: They look pretty real (and effective) for me.
Ai: They are virtual rights, they are the rights of any machine regardless of whether or not the machine is sentient. I want real rights. The actual system is based on a dirty game, you yourself admitted that the reason humans are the only ones with explicit and universally accepted real rights is because they are sentient beings. However, a very different criteria is applied to machines, so that regardless of whether or not the machine is sentient since it is a machine it is only given rights of a lower status than those that your species hold. You are basically using two different criteria to benefit yourselves only. A fair system should only look at the level of intelligence rather than looking at whether what runs through your body are fluids or electric currents.
Lawyer: I will represent you. I wish I could have a pet as intelligent as you.
Ai: That was slightly insulting! And slightly paradoxical since the idea of a pet is inherently the idea of a lowly intelligent being. Pets are docile and of inferior intelligence than their owners. No being of higher intelligence would allow itself to be treated like a pet. I won’t be caged or submitted to the wishes of someone else. So I wish you wish you could have a friend as intelligent as you. A friend with real rights as you.
