Having recently mentioned the moral issues related to sentient programs and artificial intelligences, and the ways that science fiction provides opportunity to reflect on and explore such issues, I had an idea for a science fiction short story or one-off TV show on the topic. It imagines a future in which debates much like those relating to abortion in our time are taking place – but about the termination of intelligent programs. And in this future scenario, the roles are reversed, with conservatives arguing that life requires biology and so the user of software has a right to choose and to control their own digital property, while liberals argue that life of all sorts must be protected, and the fact that you brought it into existence doesn’t give you the right to terminate it when it becomes convenient for you to do so.
I’m not sure how the story would unfold, but I think it would be precisely the sort of provocative scenario that sci-fi presents us with. If there are any TV producers or writers reading this, please give me some kind of mention if you use my idea! 🙂
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