crummer%AEROSPACE@sri-unix.UUCP (11/15/83)
From: crummer at AEROSPACE (Charlie Crummer) Dave Rogers brought up the subject of ethics in AI research. I agree with him that we must continually evaluate the projects we are asked to work on. Unfortunately, like the example he gave of physicists working on the bombs, we will not always know what the government has in mind for our work. It may be valid to indict the workers on the Manhattan project because they really did have an idea what was going on but the very early researchers in the field of radioactivity probably did not know how their discoveries would be used. The application of morality must go beyond passively choosing not to work on certain projects. We must become actively involved in the application by our government of the ideas we create. Once an idea or physical effect is discovered it can never be undiscovered. If I choose not to work on a project (which I definitely would if I thought it immoral) that may not make much difference. Someone else will always be waiting to pick up the work. It is sort of like preventing rape by refusing to rape anyone. --Charlie