Some time ago, I had a longing to have a debate with someone over this topic. However, I am the only human I know geeky enough to know the topic at hand, and the only person I know with enough memory of the topic to accurately discuss it without extensive research. So I am posting it here in the hopes that my explanation reaches out to my friends and they can compose an intelligent argument surrounding the philosophy behind the fictitious situation, as well as getting fellow gamers involved who would like to jump in after finding the title in a web search, intimately knowing the topic at hand. I'd really like to get some good discussions going off of this, because as technology hurtles forward, some of the younger of my readers may have to encounter this in their lifetimes. To start with, I am going to present the situation. Rather than copy and paste directly from Capcom's official sources, I am going to paraphrase and present a certain way, to show how the particular situation differs from other strains of AI in popular culture. Let's begin
In the year 200X (Capcom never used a specific year in any of their official canon), Engineer Thomas Light created the first form of Artificial Intelligence; implanting the operating system in an anthromorphic robot dubbed "Proto Man". Proto Man had the ability to make decisions on his own, within a very strict set of parameters. His purpose was to serve as a sort of foreman over other, simpler, robots; able to go into work areas that were much too dangerous for humans and operate somewhat autonomously without being completely dependent on human interaction. Proto Man was stolen by Light's rival, Albert Wily, and reprogrammed for combat. Light then created a second artificially intelligent robot to defend against Proto Man and other robots that were reverse engineered from his design, and 10 wildly popular side scrolling video games were the result, the Mega Man Series.
As these events wore on, within the fictitious universe surrounding Mega Man, Dr Light continued his research on Artificial Intelligence. In the year 20XX (online literature unlicensed by Capcom suggests between 2020 and 2030), he succeeded in creating an operating system that could make decisions, learn, and adapt completely free from any parameters. True artificial intelligence. This creation, named "X", was free to choose his own path in life, and was not bound by the traditional three rules of robotics (1. A robot must never harm a human being, or through inaction, cause a human being to come to harm. 2. A robot must obey orders given to it by any human being, except where this conflicts with the first law. 3. A robot must protect it's own existence, so long as the protection does not conflict with the first or second laws. Credit - science fiction author Isaac Asimov). Dr. Light theorized that should X decide that he wished to break the first law, no force on earth could stop him, and decided that he needed to be tested for a minimum of 30 years. Nearing the end of his life, Light knew he wouldn't make it that long, and sealed X in a capsule that tested his systems for the allotted time. While it's never been confirmed what the tests were, many forums, discussions, and online literature sources suggest it was both testing of the integrity of X's hardware, firmware, and software against long term degradation (mimicking a lifespan), as well as presenting the software with a series of simulations regarding right and wrong, in essence, teaching him the difference and "raising" him as if a child.
In the year 21XX (over 100 years after the sealing of the capsule according to the Mega Man X instruction manual), archeologist Dr. Cain stumbles across the remains of Light's lab and the still running capsule. With all indicators showing green, Cain decides to open the capsule and let X walk the world. Immediately seeing the potential to humanity, Cain decides to try and reverse engineer Light's design and create more copies of X, dubbed "reploids" (replicated androids). Following wild success, Reploids begin rolling off of the assembly line at an alarming rate, and joining society. They could work completely independently of human contact in areas that were much too dangerous for human bodies to go, and be fitted with equipment to customize themselves for the life path they chose. All was well, until reploids began going "maverick" and rising up against humanity.
Now, This is where the philisophical aspect of the story begins and the arguments should be made. In official game canon directly submitted from Capcom to the fans, maverick tendencies were considered to be an irregularity, a flaw in programming, and sometimes as far as being called a computer virus. It's blame comes from a variety of sources from someone writing a malware program to imperfect design and coding stemming from Dr. Cain being an archeologist instead of an engineer. This personally bothered me. To me, it seems that if you create a race, and give it the ability to think and make decisions apart from you, you do need to accept that the members will not always make decisions you agree with. This "Maverick" label, such as it is, can't really be seen as a programming error in my eyes. Consider it from a religious angle for a second. From a creationist standpoint, are we as humans any different?? We were created by a deity, in his own image, able to choose a life for ourselves in an attempt to live happily. We were given 10 commands from our maker to live by, but we have our own choosing as to whether or not to follow them, and how we follow them. Are we mentally ill when we break a commandment, or are we simply exercising the free will that we were offered by our creator??
On another thinking note, consider the spread of the condition. They call it a virus, labelling it as such based on how it spread from one reploid to the next. It's said that it spread like wildfire, which is probably where it got it's nomenclature as a virus. Maybe it was a piece of malicious software, set to extinguish humanity. But, in reality, think about any other political or social uprising. If there are millions, if not billions of reploids in the world, and they all have the capability of free will, it's likely that few will be natural born leaders, and the majority will be followers, exactly like humanity. Finding a common ground among reploids would not be very difficult. All are artificial life forms. And exactly as has happened in the past among our race, an intelligent reploid with an agenda can speak, nay RALLY, towards a group of the "oppressed" and lead a rebellion against the humans, or anyone else who believes differently than the mob. And at that point, what you conflate with mental illness turns into an upheaval the same as any other.
So, now that I have presented the arguments and talking points, what are your thoughts on the matter?? Once you've read, share this and discuss it with your friends. Leave comments on my blog and on my Facebook page. Consider post apocalyptic stories like the Matrix, that have backstories similar to this. This shares so much common ground with so many of the biggest and bloodiest wars in our history, and I feel the more it is discussed, the more both sides can understand each other in any major conflict. I'd love to hear as much feedback as I can get. Is being a maverick a disease, or is it a race practicing free will, as we have done for millenia??
