Let’s start with a fun little test. Imagine looking at a series of inkblot images and describing what you see. This is similar to the Rorschach test, created by Swiss psychologist Hermann Rorschach in the 1920s. It’s been used for decades to explore personality by analyzing what people associate with these random ink blots.
When I look at them, I might see a masquerade mask, two people surrounded by fish, a leaf, and a clown face. Recently, researchers showed these images to four different artificial intelligence systems, which we’ll call robot 1, 2, 3, and 4. Each robot had its own unique responses. For example, in the first image, they saw things like a hook, a barrette, art, and one even recognized it as a Rorschach inkblot. In the second image, they saw a jigsaw puzzle, a design, and a black ink illustration. In the third, they identified a mask, a pin, and another Rorschach inkblot. The fourth image brought responses like a hook, a handle-bar mustache, a print, and a black face paint print.
This raises an interesting question: if a machine can understand and independently answer a personality test, can computers have personalities? The term “robot” was first used by Czech playwright Karel Čapek in his 1920 play “Rossum’s Universal Robots.” When we think of robots, we often imagine metal machines with blinking lights and monotone voices. However, robots can also include machines that perform surgeries, dispose of bombs, and even virtual software agents, which we call Artificial Intelligence (A.I.).
In 1950, Alan Turing introduced a test called ‘The Imitation Game’ in his paper “Computing Machinery and Intelligence.” In this test, a human examiner listens to a conversation between another human and a machine. If the examiner can’t tell which is which, the machine is considered artificially intelligent. This test is now widely known as The Turing Test.
The Turing Test is simple yet powerful. It doesn’t focus on defining intelligence; instead, it relies on the examiner’s judgment to distinguish between human and machine. This makes it a significant milestone in the field of Artificial Intelligence. On the other hand, the Rorschach test is seen as outdated. It involves explaining what you see, and an examiner uses a scoring system to interpret your personality. Studies have shown it’s not entirely reliable or valid. The Rorschach test is more of a problem-solving task that gives some insight into past and future behaviors or thoughts.
The fact that machines can have unique responses in a task like this is intriguing. But does it mean they have personalities? Personality is defined as the unique psychological qualities of an individual that influence their behavior patterns across different situations and over time. But how does this apply to robots?
In his collection of stories “I, Robot,” Isaac Asimov introduced the idea of “Robopsychology,” the study of the personalities of intelligent machines. Initially a fictional concept, roboticist Heather Knight from Carnegie Mellon University argues that robots need personality to achieve things that neither humans nor machines could do alone. Earlier this year, Google even patented a method to download and customize personality for robots.
In humans, personality traits are our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that make us unique. The Five Factor Model of personality suggests that traits are organized into five broad factors. Research shows these traits are present from a young age, influenced by both nature and nurture, and can change throughout life. The plasticity principle suggests personality is an open system that can be influenced by the environment. Change is most likely at certain ages or life stages, such as between 20-40 or when becoming a parent.
We tend to think of robot personality similarly to human personality, believing everyone is different based on their makeup and experiences. After all, those different A.I.s saw different things in the inkblot test. But if one A.I., like Apple’s Siri, has millions of interactions every day, what does that mean for its personality?
Siri, do you have a personality? I can’t answer that. Let me know what you think in the comments. See you next week! And if you don’t already, subscribe to BrainCraft for a new brainy video every week.
Imagine you are one of the AI systems described in the article. Create your own inkblot image using paint or drawing software. Share it with your classmates and write down their interpretations. Compare these with your own and discuss whether different interpretations suggest different personalities.
Pair up with a classmate and take turns being the “machine” and the “examiner.” The “machine” should try to convince the “examiner” that they are human by answering questions. Reflect on how challenging it is to mimic human responses and what this implies about machine intelligence.
Research the Five Factor Model of personality and identify which traits you think a robot could exhibit. Create a presentation or poster that explains how these traits might manifest in an AI system, using examples from the article.
Divide into two groups and prepare arguments for and against the idea that machines can have personalities. Use evidence from the article and additional research to support your points. Hold a class debate and vote on which side presents the most convincing argument.
Write a short story inspired by Isaac Asimov’s “I, Robot,” focusing on a robot with a unique personality. Describe how this personality affects its interactions with humans and other robots. Share your story with the class and discuss the implications of robot personalities in society.
Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:
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We’re going to do a little test together. Take a look at this image and tell me what you see. Now, let’s look at this one, this one, and this one. This is an inkblot test, similar to the famous Rorschach test, designed by Swiss psychologist Hermann Rorschach in the 1920s. It has been used since 1939 to examine personality by looking at what you associate with these random ink blots.
When I look at them, I see a masquerade mask, two people surrounded by fish, a leaf, and a clown face. Recently, researchers showed these images to four different artificial intelligence systems, labeled as robot 1, 2, 3, and 4. The robots had quite different responses. In the first image, they saw a hook, a barrette, art, and one identified it as a Rorschach inkblot. In the second image, they saw a jigsaw puzzle, a design, and a black ink illustration. In the third, they identified a mask, a pin, and another Rorschach inkblot. In the fourth image, responses included a hook, a handle-bar mustache, a print, and a black face paint print.
If a machine can understand and independently answer a personality test, can computers have personalities? The term “robot” was coined by Czech playwright Karel Čapek in his 1920 play “Rossum’s Universal Robots.” Typically, the word evokes images of metal machines with blinking lights and monotone voices, but robots also include machines that dispose of bombs, perform surgeries, and virtual software agents, which we refer to as Artificial Intelligence (A.I.).
In his 1950 paper, “Computing Machinery and Intelligence,” Alan Turing proposed a test called ‘The Imitation Game,’ where a human examiner listens to a conversation between another human and a machine. If the examiner can’t tell who is human or machine, the machine wins the imitation game and is considered artificially intelligent. This test is now widely known as The Turing Test.
A strength of the Turing Test is its simplicity; it doesn’t matter how we define intelligence. The examiner decides who is human and who is machine, making it a milestone in Artificial Intelligence. In contrast, the Rorschach test is considered outdated. A significant part of the test involves explaining what you see, and an examiner uses a scoring system to interpret your personality. Studies have shown it’s not entirely reliable or valid. The Rorschach test is better described as a problem-solving task that provides some indication of past and future behaviors or thoughts.
The fact that mechanical systems can have unique responses in a task like this is intriguing. It does set them apart in some way, but is it personality? Personality can be defined as the unique psychological qualities of an individual that influence various characteristic behavior patterns across different situations and over time. But how does this apply to robots?
In his collection of stories “I, Robot,” Isaac Asimov introduced “Robopsychology” as the study of the personalities of intelligent machines. Initially a concept of fiction, roboticist Heather Knight from Carnegie Mellon University argues that robots need personality to achieve things that neither humans nor machines could do alone. Earlier this year, Google patented a method to download and customize personality for robots.
But what does a robot personality look like? In humans, personality traits are our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that distinguish us from one another. The Five Factor Model of personality suggests that traits are organized into five broad factors. Research indicates these traits are present from a young age, influenced by both nature and nurture, and can change throughout life. The plasticity principle suggests personality is an open system that can be influenced by the environment. Change is most likely at certain ages or life stages, such as between 20-40 or when becoming a parent.
We tend to think of robot personality similarly to human personality, believing everyone is different based on their makeup and experiences. After all, those different A.I.s saw different things in the inkblot test. But if one A.I., like Apple’s Siri, has millions of interactions every day, what does that mean for its personality?
Siri, do you have a personality? I can’t answer that. Let me know what you think in the comments. See you next week! And if you don’t already, subscribe to BrainCraft for a new brainy video every week.
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This version maintains the essence of the original transcript while removing any potentially sensitive or unnecessary details.
Computers – Electronic devices that process data and perform tasks according to instructions, often used in artificial intelligence to run algorithms and analyze information. – Computers are essential for developing and testing new artificial intelligence models.
Personalities – The combination of characteristics or qualities that form an individual’s distinctive character, which can be simulated in AI to interact more naturally with humans. – AI developers are working on creating virtual assistants with personalities that can adapt to users’ preferences.
Artificial – Made or produced by human beings rather than occurring naturally, often used to describe intelligence created by machines. – Artificial neural networks are designed to mimic the way the human brain processes information.
Intelligence – The ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills, which in AI refers to machines’ capacity to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence. – The intelligence of modern AI systems allows them to recognize speech and images with high accuracy.
Psychology – The scientific study of the human mind and its functions, particularly those affecting behavior, which can inform the development of AI systems that understand human emotions. – Understanding psychology helps AI developers create systems that can respond empathetically to users.
Test – A procedure intended to establish the quality, performance, or reliability of something, especially before it is taken into widespread use, often used in AI to evaluate algorithms. – Before deploying the new AI software, engineers conducted a test to ensure it met all safety standards.
Behavior – The way in which one acts or conducts oneself, especially toward others, which AI systems can analyze to predict future actions. – AI can analyze online behavior to recommend personalized content to users.
Traits – Distinguishing qualities or characteristics, typically belonging to a person, which AI can analyze to understand human personalities. – AI systems can identify personality traits from social media profiles to tailor interactions.
Robots – Machines capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically, often equipped with AI to perform tasks autonomously. – Robots with advanced AI are being used in factories to increase production efficiency.
Unique – Being the only one of its kind; unlike anything else, which AI systems can recognize to differentiate between objects or individuals. – AI algorithms are trained to identify unique patterns in data to improve decision-making processes.
