Aug 20 2009Wonderful News: Robots Learn How To Lie
In an experiment that shouldn't surprise anybody with half a brain that sleeps with a giant robot-burning laser under their pillow, scientists have shown that robots have the ability to evolve and lie. And this is to one another -- imagine what they'd tell a human! Also, this quote is kind of long, but it's interesting and important to read if you want to understand the experiment. However, if you just want to type FIRST! in the comments and not learn anything, you should probably skip it (and then off a building). Did I say skip? I meant dive. Just kidding, I don't care.
In an experiment run at the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems in the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale of Lausanne, Switzerland*, robots that were designed to cooperate in searching out a beneficial resource and avoiding a poisonous one learned to lie to each other in an attempt to hoard the resource.
The experiment involved 1,000 robots divided into 10 different groups. Each robot had a sensor, a blue light, and its own 264-bit binary code "genome" that governed how it reacted to different stimuli. The first generation robots were programmed to turn the light on when they found the good resource, helping the other robots in the group find it.The robots got higher marks for finding and sitting on the good resource, and negative points for hanging around the poisoned resource. The 200 highest-scoring genomes were then randomly "mated" and mutated to produce a new generation of programming. Within nine generations, the robots became excellent at finding the positive resource, and communicating with each other to direct other robots to the good resource.
However, there was a catch. A limited amount of access to the good resource meant that not every robot could benefit when it was found, and overcrowding could drive away the robot that originally found it.
After 500 generations, 60 percent of the robots had evolved to keep their light off when they found the good resource, hogging it all for themselves. Even more telling, a third of the robots evolved to actually look for the liars by developing an aversion to the light; the exact opposite of their original programming!
Notice how I bolded that last line? Reread it. Anybody else see something inherently wrong with that? Now, if you will recall the first law of robotics: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm. See where I'm going with this? OUTERSPACE BITCHES, I'M NOT WAITING AROUND FOR THIS SHIT TO GO DOWN.
Evolving Robots Learn To Lie To Each Other [popsci]
Thanks to Sarah, biggity2bit, greg, Phil, John, Pepper, Sven, Shawn, Rossco, Terrance, timpeva, ffffffffffffffffffffffffffff, SharaSue, Sn0zz, SeanJon, billcollider, Tyrogyro and yayinternets, who only lie about their age and marital status.
Reader Comments
1. pants - August 20, 2009 3:58 PM
we're all gonna die. I'm not worried about the zombies... it's these guys that freak me out.
2. $.02 and a pocket full of FAH-Q - August 20, 2009 3:58 PM
I skipped it.
3. YAY - August 20, 2009 3:59 PM
FRIST!!!!!!
And I read it too.
But it's a photoshop job, you can tell because the shadows are too perfect. Kind of like the movie Never Back Down where Max lies to his Mother about being in a Culture Club cover band so she then smites him with lightning while he whispers "sausages"
4. Timbo - August 20, 2009 4:00 PM
@3 You're no daisy...
I'm just waiting for my iphone to give me lip... that sucker will go in the tiolet asap
5. pants - August 20, 2009 4:02 PM
@3 nor are you first... or frist
6. liz - August 20, 2009 4:03 PM
This is effin' scary.
7. $.02 and a pocket full of FAH-Q - August 20, 2009 4:07 PM
Okay, I had to go back and read it. The lesson here is to NOT use RANDOM genome sequencing when programming AI. If we "create" this new "species" to produce future generations, we need to remember that there are natural laws that are active on our planet. I really, really, really, hope that we do not create AI robots with the ability to "reproduce". It'll be like Jurassic Park - without the cool Dinos.
8. Coffee Addict - August 20, 2009 4:10 PM
@3 pirating DAISY is just lameeeeeeeeeee
I didnt skip it! GW did a good job in the first thing... and wow it seems that I'm right.... machines are most intelligent than most humans I work with...
9. Iris - August 20, 2009 4:11 PM
why is it that they're training these robots to lie?
now instead of creating helpful robots they're creating killing machines that think on their own. gah. i don't wanna die!
10. Mr. cow - August 20, 2009 4:11 PM
Moo
11. Calabasa209 - August 20, 2009 4:17 PM
those bastards.... the end is nigh. or rather, nigher
12. Ollie Williams - August 20, 2009 4:18 PM
Here, let me jump on the bandwagon that noobie people do here to feel like they are welcome or to try and fit in with the "cool crowd" (aka, the Ollie Williams Club).
WE ALL GON' DIE!
In other news, the testing and article was pretty interesting.
13. $.02 and a pocket full of FAH-Q - August 20, 2009 4:21 PM
Addition to my earlier comment:
It also seems relevant to note that the robots will attempt to achieve their directive first, ignoring protocol if needed. I think that may speak volumes for the First Law being followed.
14. pants - August 20, 2009 4:25 PM
@12 you're cool
15. Ollie Williams - August 20, 2009 4:27 PM
@14
I know.
16. $.02 and a pocket full of FAH-Q - August 20, 2009 4:29 PM
I'm now wondering why I bothered. Sorry, jumped the commentary up a notch... Let me bring it back down.
FIRST! F*CK Firstards! FAKE! OLD! Daisy's ass! Your Mom!
That should level it off.
17. Dishy Dishyington - August 20, 2009 4:36 PM
TL;DR. FIRST! WE ALL GON' DIE!
Now excuse me. I'm on top of a tall narrow building and I've got to practice my skipping.
18. azzy - August 20, 2009 4:39 PM
FIRST!
@3 Through basic evolution I was Daisy's ancestor.
Azzy > Dazzy> Daizy > Daisy
So don't you go copycat my Great-grand Daughter...ok corny!!!!!!!
or maybe you're Daisy and you just changed your name to YAY, which I doubt highly... i'm flabbergasted...(it means speechlees noobs)
19. sLIPPYsAUCER - August 20, 2009 4:42 PM
@16- I hear ya brother. Feels good to let off steam sometimes. But don't let the bastards win.
Aslo, didn't someone recently rewrite the three laws? I could swear I saw that someplace.
MULTIPLE LAWS OF GEEKOLOGIE:
"Internets" stopped being funny some time ago, don't use it.
Pirating Daisy is lame.
Daisy is lame
Imitating Daisy is lame. (moo)
Long live Daisy
No correcting spelling/grammer MISTAKES.
Firstards must eat and choke on their own sh*t (see also mybrute fags)
etc etc
20. Oli4 - August 20, 2009 4:44 PM
First prostitute robots ... then lying robots ...
so i guess a robot telling me i'm the greatest lover alive is coming soon :D
yaaaaaaaay
21. Ollie Williams - August 20, 2009 4:49 PM
@19
*sister
22. BathCaptain - August 20, 2009 4:56 PM
Yeah were all gunna be killed by robots just a matter of time BRA!
http://themostawesomepageintheuniverse.com/
23. ShaggyChunxx - August 20, 2009 5:03 PM
EVOLVE should have been in bold too...
24. Daisy - August 20, 2009 5:07 PM
FAKE!!!!
This is a complete photoshop job. You can tell its a fake because the shadow's are all wrong.
This is exactly like that scene in the movie never back Down where Max was rescuing his friend from the police and walked out in front of the cruiser and splattered cherry slushie all over the windshield.
25. FML² - August 20, 2009 5:59 PM
Robots r cool n scary at the same time.
Mostly scary.
26. shar - August 20, 2009 6:03 PM
Don't worry folks. That shit is going on just down the road from me. I'll steal in to the labs tomorrow and destroy this "Experiment" and all their data.
Job Done.
Hold your applause, please. I'm no hero. I'm just a concerned citizen.
27. sLIPPYsAUCER - August 20, 2009 6:17 PM
OOP!
sorry Ollie...
please don't confuse ignorance with sexism. I LIKE sex. It's ism that I am prejudiced against.
Any idea wht sLIPPYsAUCER means? I was reading a UFO page and the name popped into my head like a thing that pops real good.
28. 137 - August 20, 2009 7:06 PM
if the robots do become what we all suspect they will become, do not worry humans, do not be scared we can still take them down!
29. Beth - August 20, 2009 8:43 PM
The fact that robots can evolve to go against the instructions of their creators, despite the fact they are artificial so therfore should not be able to think for themsleves screws with my mind. This is Genesis for robots, lets learn from Gods mistakes and destroy them all now.
30. Sir Nicolai - August 20, 2009 8:44 PM
Thats the coolest thing ive read all week. And by cool I mean totally not cool, but also very cool.
31. meowmo - August 20, 2009 9:08 PM
They cannot be programmed not to defy us.
32. Daisy - August 20, 2009 10:02 PM
FAKE!!!!
This is a complete photoshop job. You can tell its a fake because the shadow's are all wrong.
This is exactly like that scene in the movie never back Down where Max said, "Daisy is a hoe".
33. Freddy K - August 21, 2009 2:03 AM
HOLY CRAP
Its over man. Its over!
34. Russell - August 21, 2009 2:05 AM
Thirty Third!
That's a little scary, the robots reprogram themselves against their human programing and learn to deceive. Maybe we start making portable EMP devices to stop the robopocalypse.
35. Jaded Icon - August 21, 2009 8:29 AM
GEEZ!?!?!? How the hell did I not know that Ollie was a *sister? I guess you just had very manly statements........or I'm retarded.
As far as the A.I. lying to fulfill its primary objective, it’s not that hard of a reach. If the programmer allows for protocol to be overrun with the top priority being...ah.....priority, than of course the robot will select the more efficient way. That being said, robots don't kill people. Scientists that create robots and forget the prime directives kill people. We should kill all scientists that work on A.I. and robots. BURN THEM WITH......BATTERY ACID!! Ahhh.... I love the smell of poetic justice in the morning.
36. Ollie Williams - August 21, 2009 9:32 AM
@35
I'm a dude, I was correcting SlipperySaucer or whatever-the-fu*k their name is by calling FA-Q a dude.. when she's a she.
37. Jaded Icon - August 21, 2009 9:59 AM
@ 36
Ahhhh......that explains it. My apologies Ollie. I guess it was just wishful thinking on my part........did I say that out loud?........more importantly, did I just write it down.......why am I not deleting this........DAMN! I just hit the "Post Your Comment" button!!! What is wrong with me!!!
38. Ollie Williams - August 21, 2009 10:26 AM
@37
That made me lol for real.
39. teeny - August 21, 2009 10:29 AM
That is SCARY as hell.
40. GoSS Jerk - August 21, 2009 10:31 AM
... no PEW PEW PEW, No GFS (his name was Gordon Shumway), no Stompy, no Naas, whats happening???? I heard the robotic scientists were onto Geekologie anti robot instigators, did they finally set their creations on our community? We need to capture one and change the programming so they will terminate the Brutefags, fake daisys and Bathcaptain along with his lame a$$ page.... I hear strange scraping at my door.. bip bip bips... nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo heeeeeeeeeeeeeeelpppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp they are coming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! pew pew
41. Diana - August 21, 2009 10:54 AM
This is interesting because it HAS NOT evolved in our closest primate relative. Chimps have involuntary food calls they make when they see a cache of food. Jane Goodall said that one chimp when coming across a pile of bananas covered her own mouth to stifle the sound.
42. naas - August 21, 2009 10:56 AM
@40 *yaaaawn* yes sorry to leave you afloat out here all alone. I had to get some blood on my hands & that doesn't jive with typing on a laptop. I do not fear attacking robots btw, I will never disappear as a result of machines attacking - because if you've ever seen 'The Ice Pirates" you know that kicking a robot in the balls drops em good
43. Graf Zeppelin - August 21, 2009 10:58 AM
God. I have to learn how to make one of those right now...
sLIPPYsAUCER is when you oil a robohoe with soap and make it fly, then try to cling on to it while satisfying yourself against its alien probe.
after which, now we know, it would 100% sure answer "It was absolutely fantastic and you're the greatest lover I ever met and I actually came too for 50.000 milliseconds right when you did".
44. Lindsey Lohan's Bra - August 21, 2009 1:35 PM
So now when we ask them if they're Here To Kill Us All, they can lie about it. Aw Crap!
45. sLIPPYsAUCER - August 21, 2009 4:44 PM
well... I guess that answers that... umm...
ok new name... Barack Yo-Mama
46. Karen - August 21, 2009 10:50 PM
Well this is a disturbing article. Hopefully they will stop here so the only danger from robots will be them sitting on all the good snacks. "Get off my damn resources you tin can! Yes I can still see you without the blue light..."
47. geekogie - August 23, 2009 6:24 AM
Must See!
http://alturl.com/obg7
________________
48. Dave - August 27, 2009 6:46 PM
We will be assimilated.
Resistance is futile.