Should AI bots lie?

[Russell Holton]

Should AI bots lie? Hard truths about artificial intelligence

"People working in teams do things -- such as telling white lies -- that can help the team be successful. We accept that, usually, when a person does it. But what if an AI bot is telling the lie, or being told a lie?

"More importantly, if we allow bots to tell people lies, even white lies, how will that affect trust? And if we do give AI bots permission to lie to people, how do we know that their lies are helpful to people instead of the bot?"

And my favorite quote: "Compared to civil engineering ... software construction has all the discipline of a pack of rabid ferrets. So, yeah, let's celebrate AI's coming good times, before the bad times roll."

[Bill Bridges]

"You can't handle the truth."

[B.Butler]

"A robot must obey orders given it by a human being except where such orders would conflict with the First Law."

[Tom Charlton]

"More importantly, if we allow bots to tell people lies, even white lies, how will that affect trust? And if we do give AI bots permission to lie to people, how do we know that their lies are helpful to people instead of the bot?"

Hi Russell,

Perhaps it’s time to implement Isaac Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics" with which I suspect you’re familiar:

1) A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

2) A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

3) A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Regards,
Tom Charlton

[Stephanie Belser]

I am increasingly becoming thankful that I am of an age to not really give a rat's kiester about how all this will play out.

Humans are playing around with AI with all the consideration and forethought of a chimpanzee that has been given a hand grenade. Except that, unlike the chimp, we know that there is a non-zero possibility that things will work out very badly, as in a near-extinction level event for humanity, but we continue to muck around with it.

[Ralph Jones]

Isaac Asimov's "Three Laws of Robotics"

...which assume the robot gets to decide what "harm" is.

[Larry sreyoB]

Liar! by Isaac Asimov.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liar!_(short_story)

[Stephanie Belser]

Liar! by Isaac Asimov.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liar!_(short_story)

Fixed it for you!

[Russell Holton]

2) A robot must obey orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

That needs some adjustment. We already limit (for good reasons) who can give what orders.

[Ray Tackett]

Re favorite quote: If we built buildings the way we build software, the first woodpecker to come along would destroy civilization.

[Patty Haley]

I'm with Stephanie.