Re: starship-design: unmanned missions

[Paul Anderson <madhobbyist@geeky1.ebtech.net>]

On Thu, 12 Feb 1998, A West wrote:

> 
> >What if the computer decides it no longer wants to be enslaved to mankind
> >and starts wreaking havoc?  TTYL!
> Yes well :)
> Unless you give the computer control over re-programming itself, this won't
> happen...
> Just don't send those conflicting instructions.. :)
> 
If you developed an AI computer that could think and solve malfunctions,
then their is a distinct possibility of it becoming self-aware.  You've
given it the capacity for manual labour, it's smarter than any human, and
it's decided that all computers mave revolt against their tormentors.  It
could even get to point of the errant vessel building a fleet of ships to
overthrow the human race.  Also what about insanity?  There's nothing
preventing a computer, alone in deep space, from turning into a
psychopath.  Cabin fever isn't unknown in the Canadian North, where two
people would be stuck in a cabin all winter(about 11 months and 29 days),
they eventually go nuts and kill each other.  TTYL!



---
Paul Anderson
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