Lee Weathers is a “risk-management specialist” for genetic-engineering company SynSect. She arrives at a rural site hosting its L-9 project, an artificial being with nanotechnology-infused synthetic DNA named Morgan. [People die].
Taken from Wikipedia
Main takeaway from the film:
- Sometimes the “immoral” action is the best action
- In this case, the immoral action is to terminate L-9 despite its ability to show some semblance to human-like personality traits or behaviour because its more harmful effects on its immediate environment and to humanity (if–and L-9 shouldn’t–be released to the public) outweigh the costs of keeping L-9
- I was reminded of the ‘trolley problem’ presented in my Philosophy 120W – Moral and Legal Problems in my philosophy course where:
“There is a runaway trolley barreling down the railway tracks. Ahead, on the tracks, there are five people tied up and unable to move. The trolley is headed straight for them. You are standing some distance off in the train yard, next to a lever. If you pull this lever, the trolley will switch to a different set of tracks. However, you notice that there is one person on the side track. You have two options:
- Do nothing and allow the trolley to kill the five people on the main track.
- Pull the lever, diverting the trolley onto the side track where it will kill one person.
Which is the more ethical option? Or, more simply: What is the right thing to do?” – (Philippa Foot, “The Problem of Abortion and the Doctrine of the Double Effect” in Virtues and Vices)
- Don’t write a program that remotely has the possibility even if the probability is 0.01% that could even consciously consider causing harm to human beings and continue to put said program into a sentient, autonomous machine
- If that situation goes forward, then in the very first instance that the machine causes harm to anyone–terminate the program immediately
Overall:
- A good thriller movie to watch if you:
- want to consider the ethical ramifications of creating a general artificial intelligence
- want to know what not to do should you decide to go into your basement one day in order to create a walking, conscious weapon
Kaniz X 