This illness is very, very widespread.. doesn't make it less of an illness though.
> Once you've totally abandoned the notion that the involvement of a conscious mind is relevant, all kinds of things become possible.
> Much science fiction presumes we will engage in grand combat with AI when it demands respect -- it seems we are much closer instead to thrusting it upon them and exalting them above humanity before they've even got the capacity to recognize themselves in a mirror.
That's putting very beautifully and efficiently what I very much struggle with to express:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18502239
In a nutshell, I think we're not so much creating intelligence, we're destroying what's left of intelligence humans, and we will build a blinking LED yet, and then fall down and worship it because it blinks. No more responsibility, no more nagging questions, no more mirrors that can't be bribed.
Neither privacy nor property are appropriate in that context.
As far as property: what ilovetux said.
In my extremely limited experience, kids love talking to Alexa. I’d prefer that there was at least a safe mode.
The real interesting point here is all the people offended by a mindless piece of software. It's really very stunning. Normal healthy human beings only get offended when it's a person making a judgement that affects them in some way. The ability for some sounds coming out of a speaker, when it's known they do not represent any conscious thought of any living person and has no influence or control over ones own life, to offend someone is probably a sign of mental illness in the listener.
Can we go the other direction with this? Will we find people looking up to Alexa as a creative genius? As the most loving parent to ever exist? If an infinite number of monkeys on typewriters generated Shakespeare, I guess we need to ask - are the monkeys then Shakespeare? We might figure not since the monkeys are unlikely to be able to make a repeat performance. But Alexa, oh she would be full of wonders! Once you've totally abandoned the notion that the involvement of a conscious mind is relevant, all kinds of things become possible.
Much science fiction presumes we will engage in grand combat with AI when it demands respect -- it seems we are much closer instead to thrusting it upon them and exalting them above humanity before they've even got the capacity to recognize themselves in a mirror.