{"id":307277,"date":"2021-07-24T16:00:58","date_gmt":"2021-07-24T13:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/can-we-build-a-computer-with-free-will\/"},"modified":"2021-07-24T16:00:58","modified_gmt":"2021-07-24T13:00:58","slug":"can-we-build-a-computer-with-free-will","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/can-we-build-a-computer-with-free-will\/","title":{"rendered":"#Can we build a computer with free\u00a0will?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2e62f118da8\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2e62f118da8\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/can-we-build-a-computer-with-free-will\/#Quantum_free_will\" >Quantum free will<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/can-we-build-a-computer-with-free-will\/#Artificial_free_will\" >Artificial free will<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/can-we-build-a-computer-with-free-will\/#A_computer_with_free_will\" >A computer with free will?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#Can we build a computer with free\u00a0will?<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>Do you have free will? Can you make your own decisions? Or are you more like an automaton, just moving as required by your constituent parts? Probably, like most people, you feel you have something called free will. Your decisions are not predetermined; you could do otherwise.<\/p>\n<p>Yet scientists can tell you that you are made up of atoms and molecules and that they are governed by the laws of physics. Fundamentally, then \u2013 in terms of atoms and molecules \u2013 we can predict the future for any given starting point. This seems to leave no room for free will, alternative actions, or decisions.<\/p>\n<p>Confused? You have every right to be. This has been one of the long outstanding <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/cup.columbia.edu\/book\/freedom-and-neurobiology\/9780231137539\">unresolved problems<\/a> in philosophy. There has been no convincing resolution, though speculation has included <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.informationphilosopher.com\/freedom\/cogito\/\">a key role for quantum theory<\/a>, which describes the uncertainty of nature at the smallest scales. It is this that has fascinated me. My research interests include the foundations of quantum theory. So could free will be thought of as a macroscopic quantum phenomenon? I set out to explore the question.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/fast.wistia.net\/embed\/iframe\/xo23fcyip6?videoFoam=true\" title=\"Whats it like to be a startup founder in Barcelona? Video\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen\" allowtransparency=\"true\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wistia_embed\" name=\"wistia_embed\" allowfullscreen=\"\" msallowfullscreen=\"\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Quantum_free_will\"><\/span>Quantum free will<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>There is enough philosophy literature on the subject to fill a small library. As a trained scientist I <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>roached the problem by asking: what is the evidence? Sadly, in some ways, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/wrap.warwick.ac.uk\/98581\/\">my research<\/a> showed no link between free will and fundamental physics. Decades of philosophical debate as to whether free will could be a quantum phenomenon has been chasing an unfounded myth.<\/p>\n<p>Imagine you are on stage, facing two envelopes. You are told that one has \u00a3100 inside and the other is empty. You have a free choice to pick one \u2013 yet every time the magician wins, and you pick the empty one. This implies that our sense of free will is not quite as reliable as we think it is \u2013 or at least that it\u2019s subject to manipulation, if it is there.<\/p>\n<p>This is just one of a wide variety of examples that question our awareness of our own decision-making processes. Evidence from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/books.google.co.ma\/books\/about\/How_to_Think_Straight_about_Psychology.html?id=3dlXAAAAYAAJ&amp;redir_esc=y\">psychology<\/a>, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/business\/news\/4-reasons-you-should-never-listen-to-your-gut-a6713931.html\">sociology<\/a>, and even <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.informationphilosopher.com\/freedom\/libet_experiments.html\">neuroscience<\/a> all give the same message that we are unaware of how we make decisions. And our own introspection is unreliable as evidence of how our mental processes function.<\/p>\n<p>So, what is the evidence for the abstract concept of free will? None. How could we test for it? We can\u2019t. How could we recognize it? We can\u2019t. The supposed connection between our perception of free will and the uncertainty inherent to quantum theory is, therefore, unsupported by the evidence.<\/p>\n<p>But we do have an experience of free will, and this experience is a fact. So having debunked the supposed link with fundamental physics, I wanted to go further and explore why we have a perception of being able to do otherwise. That perception has nothing to do with knowing the exact position of every molecule in our bodies, but everything to do with how we question and challenge our decision-making in a way that really does change our behavior.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Artificial_free_will\"><\/span>Artificial free will<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>For me as a scientist, this meant building a model of free will and testing it. But how would you do this? Could I mimic it with a computer program? If I were successful how would my computer or robot be tested?<\/p>\n<p>The topic is fuelled by prejudice. You would probably assume without evidence that my brother has free will, but my computer does not. So I will offer an emotionally neutral challenge: if an alien lands on Earth, how would you decide if it was an alien being with free will like us, or a sophisticated automaton?<\/p>\n<p>Strangely, the philosophical literature does not seem to consider tests for free will. But as a scientist, it was essential to have a test for my model. So here is my answer: if you are right-handed, you will write your name holding a pen in your right hand. You will do so predictably almost 100% of the time. But you have free will, you could do otherwise. You can prove it by responding to a challenge or even challenging yourself. Given a challenge you may well write with your left hand. That is a highly discerning test of free will. And you can probably think of others, not just finely balanced 50:50 choices, but really rare events that show your independence and distinguish you from an automaton.<\/p>\n<p>Based on this, I would test my alien with a challenge to do something unusual and useless, perhaps slightly harmful even, like putting its hand near a flame. I would take that as evidence of free will. After all, no robot would be programmed to do that.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_computer_with_free_will\"><\/span>A computer with free will?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>And so I tried to model that behavior in the simplest most direct way, starting with a generic goal-seeking computer program that responds to inputs from the environment. These programs are commonly used across disciplines from sociology, economics, and AI. The goal-seeking program is so <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> that it applies to simple models of human behavior, but also to hardware like the battery saving program in your mobile phone.<\/p>\n<p>For free will, we add one more goal: to assert independence. The computer program is then designed to satisfy this goal or desire by responding to challenges to do otherwise. It\u2019s as simple as that. Test it out yourself, the challenges can be external or you can generate your own. After all, isn\u2019t that how you conclude that you have free will?<\/p>\n<p>In principle, the program can be implemented in today\u2019s computers. It would have to be sophisticated enough to recognize a challenge and even more so to generate its own challenges. But this is well within reach of current <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a>. That said, I\u2019m not sure that I want my own personal computer exercising free will, though.\u00a0<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\"js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/92234\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\"\/><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines --><\/p>\n<p><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/92234\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\"\" srcset=\"\"\/><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p><em>This article by\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/mark-hadley-446603\">Mark Hadley<\/a>, Visiting Academic in Physics, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/university-of-warwick-1238\">University of <\/a>Warwick is\u00a0republished from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/how-to-build-a-computer-with-free-will-92234\">original article<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/build-a-computer-with-free-will-syndication\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Can we build a computer with free\u00a0will?&#8221; Do you have free will? Can you make your own decisions? Or are you more like an automaton, just moving as required by your constituent parts? Probably, like most people, you feel you have something called free will. Your decisions are not predetermined; you could do otherwise. Yet&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":307278,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/tnw?filter_last=1&fit=1280,640&url=https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/07\/free-will-eye.jpg&signature=10533c009c29a35f37fdca31bd417e39","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-307277","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/307277","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=307277"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/307277\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/307278"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=307277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=307277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=307277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}