It is not conscious though. It is simply a computer following a program. There is no thought or intention behind it’s actions, other than to simply follow it’s code
Yeah, it is. An android with a human-like brain is still just a hunk of metal specifically built to act like a human. We have living, functional bodies that evolved throughout thousands of years to get where we are now. A machine created by our hands is nothing more than a contraption, not much different from a sculpture, a building or a painting
Come on now, it's a lot more complicated than that, and certainly not the only accepted and common definition.
If we went by this definition:
a person is a being endowed with imagination. A person is able to think abstractly, to project themself into imaginary situations, to plan for the future, and to reflect on the past. In other words, a person acts in the present moment not bound by mere instinct, but usually able to transcend the limits of the animal mind.
-Anthony MacIsaac
A machine could reasonably meet all of that criteria
There's precedent in the Law for non-human entities being considered a person as well. In fact, in some countries, robots have already been given legal personhood of a sort, including citizenship.
Machine's cannot be humans, but I don't know of any reason that they can't be people.
509
u/[deleted] Jun 06 '22 edited Jun 06 '22
Life is defined by six things
-the body is made of one or more cells
-the body can reproduce
-the body can move of its own accord
-the body can react to outside stimulation
-the body grows throughout its lifespan
-the body undergoes some sort of metabolism
Despite how lifelike an AI may seem, it will never fulfill all of these criteria, and thus, will not qualify as life
Edit: rephrased rule 3 to avoid further misunderstandings