World Net might be coming

Dear Readers, Science fiction literature is replete with examination of sentient artificial intelligence (AI), either as a doleful threat to us or a disconcerting mirror reflecting our own humanity (or lack thereof). Most of us experienced this through Hollywood adaptations.

In the “Terminator” series, Skynet was an AI network directing machines in a world conquest, thwarted by a pocket of human resistance. Arnold Schwarzenegger traveled back in time to eliminate the resistance leader in his youth, only to fail.

In “WarGames,” a youthful Matthew Broderick desperately hunted the architect of the military’s central command computer system to avoid WWIII as a computer simulation ran awry. The ultimate lesson was a bit elemental, that war was bad or illogical, and that computers might be a gateway to realizing that we always lose in war.

“Blade Runner” explores the moral complexities of synthetic humans and the humanity of their existence and treatment by humans. An existential exploration of what it means to be human and have a soul.

This is even explored in Marvel Comics, and now Marvel Cinematic Universe, where Ultron is a sentient AI bent on cleansing the world of the evil rot of humanity. Returning to the fertile field of exploring the limits and dangers of our own humanity.

AI is now here. We cannot predict where it will take us. Look at the technology growth occurring in just the last couple of decades. Computers have become more powerful, ever more capable of solving complex issues, to the point that we can ask AI to write a Shakespeare Sonnet. The Watson IBM AI supercomputer (so named after IBM’s founder and first CEO – Thomas J. Watson), defeated Jeopardy champs and in February it was first deployed at the Kettering Cancer Center to treat lung cancer. Humans are being usurped by machines.

There are myriads of legal ramifications with the real world implementation of AI. Google (and many such companies) are using Algorithms to mine our data and assess our interests – governments need to assess how to prevent an invasion of our privacy and, if so, at what depth.

The legal arena itself is rich territory in which AI might be able to assist. Lawyers analyze rules and cases, apply them to a specific factual scenarios, and pump out opinions and legal pleadings. AI can do this faster, if not better, than a human actor. Courts are responding by requiring attorneys to certify that AI was not utilized in the creation of court documents and sanctioning those caught lying. Judges are also banning the use of AI in all court proceedings.

The frontier beckoning with infusing AI into our reality is at both terrifying and exhilarating. Simple tasks at lawyering might be handled more swiftly and with less disagreement that in the past. Imagine a personal injury case and a dispute about value or even a divorce and what is to be done about contested issues – property division, alimony, and custody. AI can analyze the cold hard facts to come to a logical conclusion from assembling the data.

Which brings us to the final science fiction frontier – Star Trek. Spock’s calculation and logic versus Bone’s humanity and passion. Or, Data’s mythical journey to becoming more human and the temptation of an emotion chip added to his neural network. Ultimately, in either case, the logic of reason resulted in a self-sacrifice for the greater good. Humanity won out.

The question for us is if this is the path forward for the impending revolution of AI. As synthetic humanoids acquire a sentient state of being or self-knowledge, does this make our live’s better or do we become parasites in a synthetic world. This forces us to consider ethical and legal conundrums about concepts like war and environmental damage.

The law must evolve. We will need new laws to both protect privacy and to allow for the idea of synthetic beings, just like we have bioethics with genetic cellular manipulation. We have reached a new stage in our evolution as animals and need to have the imagination to wrestle with the reality of our artificial creations.

We might be on the cusp of losing our humanity or at least our apex existence in the world as we know it. If we are not careful the dark warnings of science fiction will be our new reality. And, the speed with which are technology is developing is so rapid, our laws are seriously lagging. AI will redefine humanity.

Warner Robins attorney Jim Rockefeller is the former Chief Assistant District Attorney for Houston County, and a former Assistant State Attorney in Miami. Owner of Rockefeller Law Center, Jim has been in private practice since 2000. E-mail your comments or confidential legal questions to ajr@rockefellerlawcenter.com.

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