Interactive embodied evolution for socially adept Artificial General Creatures

TL;DR

This paper proposes a research approach to develop socially capable Artificial General Creatures (AGC) that evolve through trust-building interactions with humans, aiming for long-term, mutually beneficial relationships.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of AGC and advocates for an incremental, trust-based development process combining multiple disciplines to create socially adept artificial agents.

Findings

Conceptual framework for AGC development

Emphasis on trust-building through human interaction

Potential for artificial pets as stepping stones

Abstract

We introduce here the concept of Artificial General Creatures (AGC) which encompasses "robotic or virtual agents with a wide enough range of capabilities to ensure their continued survival". With this in mind, we propose a research line aimed at incrementally building both the technology and the trustworthiness of AGC. The core element in this approach is that trust can only be built over time, through demonstrably mutually beneficial interactions. To this end, we advocate starting from unobtrusive, nonthreatening artificial agents that would explicitly collaborate with humans, similarly to what domestic animals do. By combining multiple research fields, from Evolutionary Robotics to Neuroscience, from Ethics to Human-Machine Interaction, we aim at creating embodied, self-sustaining Artificial General Creatures that would form social and emotional connections with humans. Although they would not be able to play competitive online games or generate poems, we argue that creatures akin to artificial pets would be invaluable stepping stones toward symbiotic Artificial General Intelligence.