Date of Award

6-13-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Publisher

Santa Clara : Santa Clara University, 2024

Department

Computer Science and Engineering

First Advisor

Angela Musurlian

Abstract

As the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) continues to grow and become more and more integrated into our everyday lives, it has begun to raise ethical concerns surrounding authority, autonomy, and responsibility. Researchers and consumers alike have begun to wonder how much trust we are willing to place in a non-human decision maker, especially if an Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) capable of surpassing human cognitive capabilities is ever developed. If we are willing to let an AI write essays for us, are we willing to let it manage a business? A government agency? What about a nuclear reactor?

Our project aims to provide a sandbox experience where users can explore such ethical questions surrounding the presence of AI in positions of power. Through a gamified scenario, the player takes on the role of GAIA, a General Artificial Intelligence Assistant tasked with maintaining a spaceship on a long-distance mission. By guiding the ship’s crew through a series of life-threatening challenges, the player is asked to make difficult decisions that will put simulated human lives at risk, then reflect on how they would feel if those same decisions had been put in the hands of an Artificial Intelligence. We hope that by presenting an unbiased environment for users to explore their own thoughts and perceptions of AI in positions of power, we will be able to foster productive discussions surrounding this topic and open the door for future research to take place.

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