Layra-chan
Is there an internal utility routine? At how many levels? How many of them are mutable?
Why are we bothering to converse with these things again? Don't they have better things to do? Or are we simply building artificial slaves here? In which case why give them the ability to think at all?
(Response 4)
Explaining why androids are useful
First I have to apologize to Layra-chan because I don't understand what she means by "internal utility routine" as this is not a common phrase in my experience (and I don't get how this relates to different levels or mutability if it is a
routine).
If you're talking about domestic use of androids, like daily chores, then that is certainly possible.
Since this topic covers the issue of utility, consider the example of assisted living for the elderly. It's a crummy job for a human to take care of old folks who have difficulty functioning in daily life. However, a droid would not mind tasks that humans would see as quite arduous, like helping an old person bathe and clothe themselves. On top of that, having a sense of positive human contact is very important for maintaining sanity and overall well-being. Consider this: if we have made human-level androids, then we have made
the cure to loneliness. That has a great number of psychological implications in benefiting the psychological health of many who interact with the droids, as in this example of the elderly folks. They would also help socially reclusive people find much more meaning in life from having that sense of social connection which all human beings need on some level in order to be healthy. Is it not reason enough to improve the well being of these often quite distressed individuals who live in relative isolation?
With the utility of researching AI in general, is it not enough to expand our programming capabilities to make these vastly more complex computers? Also, consider that we did have computers that could think on the level of humans.
Then technology could advance exponentially from the amount of progressive work the droids do in terms of research and productivity. Of course, humans would need to guide the development of this technology, but it's good to have humans
interact with intelligent machines, as we need to integrate them into society rather than seeing them as this distant entity. Otherwise we won't be able to as effectively utilize their benefits; societal integration through social machines makes for better human-robot relationships.
On the economic side, as a marketable product, it is undeniable that there is a profitable demand for lifelike dolls for domestic use when it comes to simulating feelings of companionship and sex.