The Problems With Artificial Intelligence Go Way Beyond Sentience - AI Summary

In case your high school math is rusty, these are arbitrary functions we made up that, when graphed, produce various lines and curves. The abstract notion of a mathematical function turns out to be so powerful precisely because it lets us use our understanding of simple instances to reason about relatives of arbitrary complexity. By this definition, all the AI systems in use today, including the LaMDA chatbot that triggered the recent controversy, are functions. Placing LaMDA alongside its fellow functions takes the wind out of the sails of those who, dazed and confused by complexity, reach for the familiar territory of moral judgments. Should our teachers have scolded us if we plotted a sentient function on a handheld calculator because of the suffering we might accidentally inflict upon this innocent lifeform?