The People of Sand and Slag”;Kissinger, Schmitt, and Huttenlocher’s “The Metamorphosis” Your choice of a non-fiction scholarly article ;Bester’s “Fondly Fahrenheit”;O’Reilly’s “What Will Our Lives Be L
PROMPT
The three short stories we are reading imagine a futuristic world in which the protagonists’ bodies and minds have been altered or augmented, robotically or biologically, in some way, challenging us to examine what it means to be human.
With the prospects for artifically enhanced bodies, workers, and companions, what are the sensible and ethical approaches to these technologies?
Write a 4-5 pp. research paper (1000-1250 words) in which you both explain the controversy over a specific contemporary application in one of these fields and argue the extent to which you endorse it.
You may argue for zero restrictions and control or extensive oversight, or something in between. Be sure you focus on a particular application so that your essay delves deeply into the subject matter as opposed to treating an entire field too broadly and therefore superficially.
TOPICS
Here are some applications and debates you might look into: AI outsmarting humans, labor competition, remote warfare, programmable partners, programmed social biases, transhuman (artificially enhanced humans), video editing (fake videos), facial recognition (privacy, profiling, fraud), tracking devices (privacy, Big Brother), bio-enhancements (super humans), gene modification (designer babies), cloning, bioengineered foods or 3-D printed consumables.
Choose a narrow topic so that you go into sufficient detail. Artificial intelligence alone is way too big a topic; instead, examine one particular application of artificial intelligence that ignites debate.
