The Philosophical and Ethical Dimensions of Chatbots
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: Science and Technology - Awareness in the fields of IT, Computers, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence.
Mains:
General Studies Paper 3 (S&T): Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life; Awareness in the fields of IT, Computers.
General Studies Paper 4 (Ethics): Ethics and Human Interface; Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration; Emotional intelligence. The ethical implications of AI are a very important and contemporary topic.
Essay: Topics on Artificial Intelligence, Technology and Society, Future of Humanity.
Key Highlights from the News
Modern chatbots powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) raise significant discussions across technical, philosophical, and ethical domains regarding whether they possess human-like consciousness.
Current chatbots utilize Large Language Models (LLMs) technology, operating by recognizing patterns in vast amounts of data. They lack the ability to genuinely understand things, experience emotions, or think for themselves.
Because they communicate like humans, people often mistakenly attribute consciousness and emotions to them. This psychological tendency is called the ELIZA effect.
There are four main reasons to assert that chatbots are not conscious: they lack subjective experience, intentionality, self-awareness, and embodiment.
Even if chatbots are not conscious, their widespread use raises numerous ethical implications. For example, who is responsible if they provide misinformation, the potential for emotional exploitation of users, and job displacement.
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