Machine Ethics - An Evolutionary Concept

Machine Ethics is about ensuring acceptable behaviors of AI agents. It is distinct from other historical ethical concepts. Machine ethics once been science fiction as expressed by Isaac Asimov. But now in many ways Machine Ethics is eerily similar to I, Robot’s “Three Laws”.

The truth is that the concept of “ethics” has been misunderstood from its inception. The foundational book for the field of Ethics, Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics, has been mistranslated. Ironically, today's concept of Machine Ethics is much closer to Aristotle’s original thinking.

The Greek philosophers discovered two distinct patterns of evolution – the processes of natural and artificial evolution. Aristotle’s concept was really describing a concept in the process of artificial evolution – artificial instincts.

The emerging field of AI Safety needs to be reframed in evolutionary terms. The new concept of Machine Ethics is really a modern expression of an existing Darwinian concept. Join us on the Artificial Evolution podcast to learn what AI Safety and Machine Ethics truly are in the context of Earth's evolutionary history. For the planet earth - evolution is the only game in town.