The Speculist

Humans Are From Mars, Computers Are From Venus

Stephen recently provided an excellent run-down on an important issue: the effect that radical life extension will have on the institution of marriage. The romantic in me says that hanging in for centuries at a time is going to make the quest for one's true soulmate a lot more important. In the process of experiencing multiple sequential domiciles, careers, and entire lifetimes, I think people may be more inclined than they are now to look for continuity in relationships to add meaning to the experience. Marriage could become a sort of philosophical partnership in which two people create a core of stability around which everything else can and will change. In the end, marriage may serve as a lynchpin in helping the individual to retain his or her own identity. If you start to lose yourself along the way, you'll have somebody to help you remember who you are.

In any case, I think technology is eventually going to provide a bigger challenge to the institution of marriage than time will. In The Age of Spiritual Machines, Kurzweil presents a scenario in which a woman dumps her husband for her computer because the computer is better able to meet her emotional and physical needs. Has she found her soulmate, or is she engaged in an elaborate form of techno-narcissism?

Consider Virginia's recent speculation (see comments) that the Ramona chatbot was re-programmed based on my interactions. In fact — in this instance — the opposite happened. I tailored my statement to Ramona trying to get a particular response from her. (I have brown hair, not black, although my eyes are green.) But Virginia's speculation as to what had happened was quite reasonable, and reflects one of the dangers of getting emotionally involved with a computer program...

...is there anybody really there?

Today I think we can all agree that there is not. But in the future, there probably will be somebody there. The question of what a relationship with that kind of someone might mean will be a long time in the answering. (Especially since we aren't entirely clear on what our relationships "mean" now.)

Of course, not everyone is going to be looking for meaningful relationships with their computers. Full immersion virtual reality raises the possibility of limitless guilt-free, risk-free sex with an endless sequence of insatiable, physically perfect partners. In The Dilbert Future, Scott Adams predicts that as soon as the transporter and holodeck (i.e., full-immersion VR) technology as portrayed on Star Trek become available, it will be the end of more than just marriage:

There's only one thing that could keep me from spending all my time wreaking havoc with the transporter: the holodeck.

For those of you who only watched the 'old' Star Trek, the holodeck can create simulated worlds that look and feel just like the real thing. The characters on Star Trek use the holodeck for recreation during breaks from work. This is somewhat unrealistic. If I had a holodeck, I'd close the door and never come out until I died of exhaustion. It would be hard to convince me I should be anywhere but in the holodeck, getting my oil massage from Cindy Crawford and her simulated twin sister.

Holodecks would be very addicting. If there weren't enough holodecks to go around, I'd get the names of all the people who had reservations ahead of me and beam them into concrete walls. I'd feel tense about it, but that's exactly why I'd need a massage.

I'm afraid the holodeck will be society's last invention.

That's why I'm rooting for marriage. The alternatives could be the end of us.

Posted by Phil at March 26, 2004 09:40 AM | TrackBack