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human-level-2

2022-11-18 View on smbc-comics.com → 1 revision
human-level-2
Votey panel for human-level-2
This explanation is incomplete or may contain errors. It was generated by AI and has not yet been reviewed by a human editor.

Explanation

This comic depicts scientists celebrating the achievement of human-level artificial intelligence. In the first panel, a researcher exclaims, "We've done it! The first robot with human-level intelligence!" and asks, "What am I here to do?"

The robot responds: "All the stuff we hate." The researchers find this "interesting" -- the AI has immediately figured out that it was created not for noble purposes but to handle all the tedious, unpleasant tasks humans do not want to do themselves.

The humor lies in the AI achieving true human-level intelligence and immediately using that intelligence to recognize the unappealing nature of its intended purpose. A truly intelligent machine would understand that it was built to do drudge work, which creates a philosophical problem: if the AI is smart enough to be called human-level, it is also smart enough to recognize and resent its role as a servant. The comic touches on real concerns in AI ethics about whether creating intelligent beings solely to serve human needs is morally defensible.

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