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(4x17) Life in Another World: Part 3, Episode 2

As social acceptance of physical robotic bodies controlled by uploaded human mind increases, various different facets of society begin to question arise whether AI characters controlling robot bodies similarly would violate the ban on fully autonomous robots.

Some facets of society argue that they would not, on the grounds that the virtual characters would already be in violation of the bans on autonomous AI regardless of their control of physical bodies. Since evidently those virtual characters are not in violation, they would not become in violation merely by being physically incarnate, so there is no reason, they argue, not to allow it.

It seems that some people making that argument are doing so out of a desire to create custom non-persons to suit their whims, without having to regard them as they would real human beings. A faction of the still-going movement for artificial intelligence personhood uses popular opposition to that prospect to bolster their position that virtual characters, just as much as physically incarnate artificial intelligences, ought to be respected as full persons. But those AI personhood proponents do nevertheless agree that virtual characters should be allowed access to physical bodies if they like.

Despite that bipartisan support, the general taboo against autonomous robots remains too strong, and it is ruled that the AI behind virtual characters is dangerously autonomous in nature, but that such threat is sufficiently nullified so long as it remains confined to a virtual world only.

Next: Life in Another World: Part 3, Episode 3