SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
from the and-don't-believe-promises-of-cake dept.
The Wall Street Journal reports:
As a new generation grows up surrounded by artificial intelligence, researchers find education as early as preschool can help avoid confusion about robots' role
If you want your preschooler to grow up with a healthy attitude toward artificial intelligence, here's a tip: Don't call that cute talking robot 'he' or 'she.'
Call the robot 'it.'
Today's small children, aka Generation Alpha, are the first to grow up with robots as peers. Those winsome talking devices spawned by a booming education-tech industry can speed children's learning, but they also can be confusing to them, research shows. Many children think robots are smarter than humans or imbue them with magical powers.
The long-term consequences of growing up surrounded by AI-driven devices won't be clear for a while. But an expanding body of research is lending new impetus to efforts to expand technology education beyond learning to code, to understanding how AI works. Children need help drawing boundaries between themselves and the technology, and gaining confidence in their own ability to control and master it, researchers say."
[...] How to Raise an AI-Savvy Child
* Use the pronoun "it" when referring to a robot.
* Display a positive attitude toward the beneficial effects of AI.
* Encourage your child to explore how robots are built.
* Explain that humans are the source of AI-driven devices' intelligence.
* Guard against AI-propelled toys that presume too much, such as claiming to be your child's best friend.
* Invite children to consider the ethics of AI design, such as how a bot should behave after winning a game.
* Encourage skepticism about information received from smart toys and devices.
(Score: 5, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 29 2019, @04:22PM (10 children)
This has nothing to do with gender. This is about teaching children that a robot is a thing, not a person.
On a side note, you english speaking people should consider yourselves lucky. Distinguishing things from people is as easy as using the right pronoun. Many languages, like french for example, do not have gender-neutral pronouns, and therefore have no choice but to call robots "him" or "her". Therefore, teaching little kids that robots are not persons is not as simple as it is for english speakers.
(Score: 2) by aiwarrior on Thursday August 29 2019, @04:29PM (4 children)
Which means that the pronoun is not so important or you would think whole languages, portuguese included would lead to hopelessly brain damaged adults.
(Score: 2) by acid andy on Thursday August 29 2019, @05:14PM (3 children)
Well French doesn't even have separate verbs for liking and loving, so maybe their pronouns are the least of the problems.
If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 29 2019, @08:58PM (1 child)
Nice, France: It's pronounced neece, not nice; they have no word for nice in French.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 29 2019, @10:04PM
What about "French"? Oh wait, that's the opposite of nice...
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 30 2019, @08:18PM
Apprécier et aimer ?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by HiThere on Thursday August 29 2019, @07:38PM (3 children)
On what grounds to you assert that a real robot would not be a person? It would certainly be much more deserving of that description than is a corporation.
Now it's true that we don't *yet* have real robots...but you should expect we will be the time the children who are now pre-schoolers can vote. And even the current robots are probably as worthy of that description as a phone-spammer.
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday August 29 2019, @09:17PM
This is about today, now. Today, robots are not persons. And we have still a looooonnng way to go before they ever are. This isn't science fiction, this is the real world. That's why we don't have hoverboards, moon bases, and flying cars. I want my fucking flying car !
(Score: 2) by Pslytely Psycho on Friday August 30 2019, @06:32AM (1 child)
Yeah, of course Corporate Personhood is just a legal fiction to absolve or reduce the culpability of CEOs and shareholders by making the Corporation the person who committed the crime and not the real criminals, who at worst, will be accused of aiding the 'person' who committed the crime. Of course that 'person' will never have to face the actual consequences of the crime as it can never be jailed, only fined, broken up or dissolved.
You're correct, even Siri, Alexa or Cortana is more deserving of personhood.
As far as phone spammers go, I'm up for remote electrocution. Not to the point of death mind you, just make it painful to be one.
Unless of course it's the fifth time with the same guy who you've already said:
"Please remove me from your list."
"I've told you before, remove me from your list."
"Goddammit, I said remove me, NOW!"
"Fuck off."
"I ate your ancestor for lunch goat fucker."
Alex Jones lawyer inspires new TV series: CSI Moron Division.
(Score: 2) by acid andy on Friday August 30 2019, @12:14PM
Oh, I don't know; it just needs a little creative thinking. Add some bars to the windows and barbed wire fences if the corporation hasn't already got them, turn the cubicles into cells, remove internet access and all sharp objects, upgrade the reception area.
Ah no, wait, would that be equivalent to turning someone into a jail, rather than actually jailing them? In that case just build a big jail around the outside of the building!
If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday August 30 2019, @04:48AM
Wonder what they'll be teaching children when some robots become persons? If my coffee maker is programmed to regard itself as male or female (or any of the other zillion gender labels allegedly being created today), who am I to disagree?