Social Limitations for Computers

[Silbeg]

In my FPCA Champions Campaign , the group is working on getting several team level items, one of which includes an AI (called SAL-9000, all credit on the name to Arthur C. Clark).

The question has arose, can/should an artificial intellegence have social limitations? They would like SAL to have the social lim "Subject to Orders" ("he" will already have a psych lim "Must Obey Orders from Humans (Very Common; Strong)").

Not sure that his is necessary, or even a disadvantage. Any and all feedback will be appreciated!

Thanks!

Silbeg...

[Aroooo]

In this particular example, I think they are the same thing. But generally speaking, sure, AI's can have Social Lims...

Aroooo

[zornwil]

Nothing wrong with Social except maybe you'd want to go with Physical if the computer is "hard-wired" to perform that way and has no real ability to make judgement calls on who or for what purpose a human command is made.

[Silbeg]

I had thought of the physical limitation. That would definately make things interesting.

Another idea I had, taking from the "real world" would be to have reduce the psych lim...

Psych Lim: Must Obey Orders from Authorized Users (Common, Strong) 15 points.

and/or

Phys Lim: Must Obey Orders from Authorized Users (Freq, maj) 15 points

Social limitation could still exist, and I am starting to think it would still give some value.

Thoughts?

[BlackCobra]

Actually, I definitely think that AI's can have Social Limitations, particularly (or only?) in societies that class Artificial Intelligences as people and have laws (or expect the regular ones) that apply to them.

So if you have an AI who's part of the military, they have to obey orders, go where they're told, be called up out of the reserves, etc. (Hmmm, interesting character idea, a retired military AI.) Or say you have an AI who's responsible for traffic control in a major city -- they have to maintain the laws of the city, do their job and generally keep the trains running. Heck, you could even have an AI running around who has a Secret they don't want to get out ("I was programmed by a mass-murderer, but I'm really an OK entity!").

If you want an interesting take on it -- look at the Ship Who Sang stuff by Anne McAffrey. Although the Ships (and one city) are really technically cyborgs, they might as well be built as AIs (with some odd physical limitations). And boy do they have some Social Limitations. Not the least of which is that most unknowing people think they're really computers.

Does that help?

[Wolfgar]

Part of Social Limitations is the representation of discrimination, and an AI could definitely be treated as less than human. There will be cases where the AI's "life" will be considered much less important than a human one, for starters.