From: Charles D Hixson (charleshixsn@earthlink.net)
Date: Mon Aug 07 2006 - 01:53:31 MDT
Richard Loosemore wrote:
>
> While I am on the subject, would anyone be interested in giving me
> their thoughts about *positive* examples of fictional AI?
>
> What I mean is, how many times have SF writers (whether in written or
> movie form) created fictional futures in which the AI was not the
> villain?
>
> And within that category, in how many of the cases was the AI
> portrayed as having equal or superior intelligence (instead of turning
> out to be just a glorified calculator that could be outsmarted by
> outmaneuvering its logic circuits)? I am less interested in these.
>
> The only notable examples I can think of are Iain M. Banks Culture
> books, and Asimov's benign robots (who, if I recall correctly, tend to
> be of the less-than-human-equivalent sort).
>
> Lem's creations might count, but he is a little surreal.
>
> Richard Loosemore
>
Valentina, Soul in Sapphire comes to mind. Also check out Piers
Antony's Robot Adept series (though I haven't read it). Also the robots
in Clifford Simak's City.
OTOH, an interesting point is that I've never encountered a fictional
artificial intelligence that wasn't obviously human except a few
robots...and they were human except for intentional limitations. (Not
too surprising when you consider that most aliens of any kind are humans
wearing a strange costume.)
N.B.: This is NOT what an artificial intelligence will be like, even if
we were to try hard to create it in that image.
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