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First prove that a computer is capable of 'free speech' and forming opinions. And if, in the very unlikely case that a computer could form an opinion even sligh

First prove that a computer is capable of 'free speech' and forming opinions. And if, in the very unlikely case that a computer could form an opinion even slightly related to the human world, then the issue may become relevant. However, it is extremely likely that a computer will never genuinely form its own opinion about human issues such as birth control or racism. But what about animals? Just because we lack the ability to understand their communication (computers 'trick us' because they appear to communicate in human dialect) doesn't mean they aren't harbouring controversial or illegal views - should animals be condemned for theft and tax evasion?

planetguy 14y ago
>First prove that a computer is capable of 'free speech' and forming opinions Alright, let's try some plausible examples with present-day technology. Let's suppose I think people who use prostitutes are filthy perverts. I can say "People who use prostitutes are filthy perverts" with no fear. On the other hand, if I accuse a particular individual of being a filthy pervert, I may be liable for slander. Suppose I set up a computer outside a brothel using face-identification technology to determine who is going in and out of the brothel, and then program my computer to automatically publish a list of pronouncements: "Phil is a filthy pervert, James is a filthy pervert", and so on. Are those my slanderous opinions, or those of the computer? Similarly I can imagine all sorts of fun you could have with a computer programmed to automatically look through all available data for the correlation between race and IQ, identify whatever the lowest-IQ race may be, and then start sending racist letters to the editor of every major newspaper, saying "Man, [RACE P] is so stupid". A computer may not have opinions, but potentially objectionable speech can be algorithmically generated.

planetguy 14y ago

>First prove that a computer is capable of 'free speech' and forming opinions Alright, let's try some plausible examples with present-day technology. Let's suppose I think people who use prostitutes are filthy perverts. I can say "People who use prostitutes are filthy perverts" with no fear. On the other hand, if I accuse a particular individual of being a filthy pervert, I may be liable for slander. Suppose I set up a computer outside a brothel using face-identification technology to determine who is going in and out of the brothel, and then program my computer to automatically publish a list of pronouncements: "Phil is a filthy pervert, James is a filthy pervert", and so on. Are those my slanderous opinions, or those of the computer? Similarly I can imagine all sorts of fun you could have with a computer programmed to automatically look through all available data for the correlation between race and IQ, identify whatever the lowest-IQ race may be, and then start sending racist letters to the editor of every major newspaper, saying "Man, [RACE P] is so stupid". A computer may not have opinions, but potentially objectionable speech can be algorithmically generated.