Can Machines Learn Morality?

Which of the following identifies the central idea of the text?

• Morality is a solely human trait that robots may never be able to fully understand or use to make decisions.

• Equipping robots with a sense of morality would allow them to be more useful in combat, however, this would also allow them more independence than some people approve of.

• Equipping robots with a sense of right and wrong is an unwise decision, as humans have yet to master a knowledge of morality themselves.

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

Which detail from the text best supports the central idea ?

• “true to its title, called on governments to ban all autonomous weapons because they would ‘increase the risk of death or injury to civilians during armed conflict.’” (Paragraph 10)

• “It’s all in the interest, says Arkin, of developing machines that won’t be a threat to humans, but rather an asset, particularly in the ugly chaos of war.” (Paragraph 16)

• “’I believe that there is a potential for non-combatant casualties to be lessened by these intelligent robots, but we do have to be very careful about how they’re used and not just release them into the battlefield without appropriate concern.’” (Paragraph 17)

Tags

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.8.1

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

What is the effect of the author’s reference to The Terminator movies in paragraph 13?

• It makes fun of the idea that robots could ever successfully be equipped with morality.

• It shows how equipping robots with intelligence is a task that is doomed to fail.

• It reinforces the idea that some robotic advances are only possible in fiction.

Which quote from the text best supports the author's assertion about "The Terminator"?

• “When it opens later this year, it will push for serious scientific research into what could happen if and when machines get smarter than us.” (Paragraph 11)

• “one day we could be dealing with ‘machines that are not malicious, but machines whose interests don’t include us’.” (Paragraph 12)

• “Maybe this will always be the stuff of science fiction.” (Paragraph 13)