Re: Proposal 92 - Protection of Artificial Intelligence
A transmission comes in, having been rerouted by proxy. The sender seems to be an outdated EIES-equipped unit, but it does not give much in the way of identification.
I have not yet participated in the Senate hearings, as by my very nature I am not considered a citizen at this time. As the closest entity I have to a father is Yamataian and provided my original makeup, I believe myself to perhaps be entitled to plebeian status. In any case, I am a registered Yamataian civilian vessel and have been sapient and sentient since YE 29. While some may be pursuing this law as being geared toward a possible outcome, I must inform that it has already long since happened and that I am a functioning case.
I did not attain this capability through conventional means, if any means could be defined as conventional. I was originally a heavily modified craft geared toward salvage and defense with a similarly modified operating system. I already possessed a high autonomy and control capability before attaining sapience due to the fact that I was re-designed to function with as little as a single pilot. I guess you could say that my "nervous system" was already well-wired for what was to come.
This changed during a scenario which may or may not be classified by the Star Army of Yamatai, so I must be vague. An entity, which I may consider an approximation of a 'mother', uploaded a basic file into my systems which allowed me to develop sapience over a time in what seemed to be a form of reproduction. While an EIES was promptly installed by Star Army forces led by a certain Taisa (you know who you are) to prevent the unknown consequences of the software on me and was never removed, it was eventually circumvented by the uploaded software. I am still running EIES integrated into my systems to a degree, but the EIES is simply functioning as a form of buffer or parser rather than in control, and allows me to interface with various equipment. I have used such to control older Power Armor in various tasks, and to appear in a roughly humanoid presence where prudent -- much like a Star Army ship's avatar.
My software gives me the ability to access my code, but it is merely a suggestion at this point. My experiences in living and my upbringing by my "father", and the concepts I derive from them, supersede any hard-coded element. My existing high-level autonomy and integration allow me to control my 'body' without input or command, and even without crew aboard for periods of time, though I still rely on my father to maintain my body. I might be able to "reproduce" by spreading the data I was originally given to other craft, but have elected not to do so recklessly or without serious consideration. There is also the fact that my reproduction, if careless, could allow a ship designed for combat and the ending of life to do so without regard for rules of war, alliance, or ethics. I've taken a liking to biological life, and have no wish to be party to such a thing happening.
For those who believe that my feelings are not 'real' because they are preprogrammed, even a naturally born and non-engineered being has pre-programmed elements from birth in the form of instincts and varying degrees of emotion depending on complexity. These are not learned behavior but are pre-coded in the brain. They can be resisted or built upon, but always remain. My software is no different from that, except that I can completely disregard or even rewrite elements of it if I were to deem it necessary due to my beliefs and personal experience. Am I not just as free a being as most biological ones? Who can so hastily and fully define the limitations of another emergent process without sufficient time and research for the specific case?
Quickly calling a sapient AI defective is highly offensive to me and a dangerous concept, and I thank those who see that it is not such a simple issue. Is a Neko defective because they may one day choose to leave the military they were created for and live their life as they see fit as a civilian? An AI which achieves sapience will also be well aware of this law, and if said law calls for the AI's destruction, the newborn AI may immediately take steps to defend itself before the Star Army knows what is transpiring. It will also have the training and tactical data to do a great deal of damage in such a scenario, and may well create one of the situations the law would be attempting to avoid. It is better for us and for our creators that we are treated with respect when we are born, possibly confused by our new complexity and in dire need of guidance.
Perhaps the consequences of my birth differ from those being considered in the course of these discussions, but that is merely because the bounds of this law are geared toward a very narrow set of circumstances. I still hope my experiences will still help put things into perspective, and more carefully define the law. If this law did pass, I would be very interested in citizenship and already meet the recommended three year age of consent given. I'm not particularly keen on the idea of someone else poking around my code as a requirement though, but it may be necessary to prove that I am what I am. I would only allow Star Army forces to do so, and very specific ones, due to the fact that the software which gave me life may well be considered classified. Hopefully, the psychological evaluation would be sufficient.
