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The Problem of Other Minds in an Age of Social Robots

Research Project

Project/Area Number 23K00005
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)

Allocation TypeMulti-year Fund
Section一般
Review Section Basic Section 01010:Philosophy and ethics-related
Research InstitutionThe University of Tokyo

Principal Investigator

オデイ ジョン  東京大学, 大学院総合文化研究科, 教授 (50534377)

Project Period (FY) 2023-04-01 – 2026-03-31
Project Status Granted (Fiscal Year 2023)
Budget Amount *help
¥3,120,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥720,000)
Fiscal Year 2025: ¥1,040,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥240,000)
Fiscal Year 2024: ¥910,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥210,000)
Fiscal Year 2023: ¥1,170,000 (Direct Cost: ¥900,000、Indirect Cost: ¥270,000)
KeywordsPhilosophy of Mind / Other Minds / Consciousness / Artificial social agents / Philosophy / Problem of Other Minds / Social Robots
Outline of Research at the Start

Social robotics aims to create entities specialized for social interaction. The logical end goal of social robotics is the creation of artificial minds. This project interrogates the philosophical question about the nature of minds in the context of the importance of minds to social interaction.

Outline of Annual Research Achievements

The problem of Other Minds faced unexpected new data in early 2023 with the release of ChaptGPT, which caused widespread speculation both in the popular discourse and also in some academic discussions that artificial intelligence may be nearing the level of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). An agent with general intelligence, that is to say intelligence with at least roughly the range and flexibility of human intelligence, would (almost by definition) pass the Turing Test and to that extent have a claim to be regarded as possessing a mind. On the other hand, the underlying technology (Large Language Models) seems incompatible with the presumed basic requirements for possessing a mind. However, to the extent that LLMs seem capable of “fooling” interlocutors into interacting with them as if they are conscious agents, their effect on is extremely relevant to this project. On this topic, I gave a talk to the Alliance of Asian Liberal Arts Universities’ 6th Annual President’s Forum on November 24, 2023 “Can AI help us become better people”.

Current Status of Research Progress
Current Status of Research Progress

2: Research has progressed on the whole more than it was originally planned.

Reason

Progress is as planned.

Strategy for Future Research Activity

The nest stage of the project is to evaluate the philosophical research on Direct Social Perception. The aim of this stage is to come to some tentative conclusions as to whether consciousness in some form is the sort of feature that is directly perceivable, for example through emotional expression, intention in action, or more lengthy interaction. If it makes sense to say that aspects of mindedness are directly perceivable, then those properties should be able to act as criteria enabling as to detect the emergence of mindedness in artificial agents.

Report

(1 results)
  • 2023 Research-status Report
  • Research Products

    (1 results)

All 2023

All Presentation (1 results) (of which Invited: 1 results)

  • [Presentation] Can AI help us become better people?2023

    • Author(s)
      John O(Dea
    • Organizer
      Asian Liberal Arts Universities’ 6th Annual President’s Forum
    • Related Report
      2023 Research-status Report
    • Invited

URL: 

Published: 2023-04-13   Modified: 2024-12-25  

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