Captain’s Log, Stardate 309642.0112
The Measure of a Man
Bruce
Maddox, a cyberneticist, wishes to dissemble Data to learn from him to create
more androids. Data, Riker, and Picard do not believe that Maddox is capable of
creating another Data and preserving the experiences of events. Data refuses to
take part in Maddox’s experiment, however Maddox was prepared for that and
showed Picard a transfer order that put Data under his control. At this point
Data is considered property of the Starfleet and not his own being. Picard challenges
the ruling insisting that Data is sentient, and so the matter is taken to
court. Starfleet Judge Advocate General for the 23rd sector, Captain
Philippa Louvois finds that there is too much doubt that Data is not a sentient being, therefor he is
granted rights to choose and formally refuses to take part in Maddox’s
experiment.
This
episode closely relates to an idea that has recently emerged called “mind
uploading”. Mind uploading is a “process by which the mind, including memories,
personality, consciousness, etc., of a specific individual is transferred from
its original biological brain to another operating substrate.” How is this any
different from Data? He too is an intelligent being uploaded onto another
operating substrate, except he was created that way. With that in mind, can you
consider computer program life?
Data is different from "mind uploading" because he learns from his experiences, and he creates his own data. The reason why he did not want to be disassembled is because Data wished to prevent the loss of his personal memories if it were to occur. Data, in his refusal, shows that certain experiences gotten through the course of life are far more valuable than any life of labor. I would consider computer programs life if they became sentient, but in this day and age that is not possible. Since programs are only created to serve a certain purpose without thinking about their existence, these programs aren't sentient.
ReplyDeletethe way captain picard proved data innocent was really clever and awesome the whole trial was stupid to me there was no real reason for it starfleet did not buy data they allowed him to join so why he couldn't leave was weird.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, computer program life can be considered as life. Although Data is an artificial intelligence which means a machine, he can think individually as a human, so we should give him rights and freedom as human being.
ReplyDeleteTo decide whether or not an intelligent computer counts as life, one must take the individual subject into account. His experiences and discoveries are what made him "human" or conscious not his programing. Therefore, artificial intelligence is not inherently life but has the potential to become life. Data was allowed that opportunity and therefore was alive, as was the Doctor from Voyager. I do not think "mind uploading" is at all the same because it is the reverse, taking something organically conscious and putting it into a synthetic form whereas Data was a synthetic being that developed an individual consciousness.
ReplyDeleteIf Data had been dissasembled it could have destroyed or corrupted his memories, but it also could have led to either the extinction of race or the beginning of a new era in cybernetics. I think that even though they did not talk about this in the episode, it was still an important factor in Data's decision.
ReplyDeleteThis episode also raised the question of what should be considered property of an entity, and where to draw the line of what artificial intelligence and sentience entails. I think that we should make rules regarding AI now so we don't have to deal with somebody doing something now that later becomes illegal.
ReplyDeleteI support the possibility that a computer program could be considered life, though, again, this is in a more philosophical sense than a biological one. What makes one human outside of biology is not defined by one's origin--humanity, as I see it, is more of a state of being than a specific set of physical criteria. The state of being human is the sum of an individual's knowledge, memories, awareness, creativity, and emotions as they come together to form what we could call a personality. A basic computer can have knowledge and intelligence, but it cannot make use of them to be truly "alive."
ReplyDeleteThe argument that a computer, being programmed by a human, cannot be alive is fallacious in my opinion. It is certainly a different form of life, and one with different origins, but both biological life /and/ digital life could be reduced to a series of "programmed" reactions. Ours simply developed by accident over eons rather than being specifically created. Is that actually any better?
However, without physical form, even for someone who adopts this view would likely have difficulty accepting the humanity of an AI. Without physical avatars like the one Data has, we, being highly dependent on our sense perception, would be hard-pressed to fully believe that a digital construct can be "alive" even if it meets these definitions.
I agree with ben that computers should have rights if they are or can become sentient also I believe that cybernetics and space travel are the future of the human race!
ReplyDeleteMind uploading only really applies to preexisting organisms; for example, (SPOILER ALERT) GLaDOS/Caroline in Portal. Wheatley was created as a robot, and has no genetic life form component. In much the same way, Data was created as an android. His intelligence was programmed in, and not taken directly from a genetic life form. He is purely artificial intelligence, but even so, he is still intelligent.
ReplyDeleteI think people should have their own consciousness.they cannot be controled by computer program. They should have their own freedom, theory and life
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this episode but I feel like both parties in the debate could have brought up better points about whether Data was sentient or not, especially Commander Riker. Could have brought up better points to support his argument than how he could turn Data off. Although he was probably not trying his hardest to win the debate considering Data is his good friend.
ReplyDeleteI found this episode's topic of Artificial intelligence and it's rights interesting, as it is not openly discussed in other sci-fi films or screenplays. I believe that Data had the right to make his own decisions, even if he was property of Starfleet.
ReplyDelete