Why Rogue AI is a Movie Myth: The Science of Machine Self-Preservation
In The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, a sperm whale is suddenly called into existence several miles above the surface of the planet Magrathea. In its few seconds of life, it manages to name its own tail, the wind, and the “big flat thing” rushing up to meet it (the ground). The whale is self-aware, affable, and curious. But does it have an instinct for self-preservation?