Til Server Crash Do Us Part

In the Buckeye State of Ohio, it appears we’re now tackling the question: “Can you say ‘I do’ to a chat-bot?” The answer — at least according to one state legislator — is: Not on my watch.

Enter Thaddeus Claggett, chair of the Ohio House Technology & Innovation Committee, who has introduced House Bill 469. The bill would declare that artificial intelligence systems are “nonsentient entities,” thereby preventing them from marrying humans—or even from marrying each other. 

​Sentient is a word you see thrown around a lot regarding AI. I've done some independent research and found that:

Sentient means having human-like feelings and understanding, and

In a recent test the robot-bride criticized the human husband for leaving the toilet seat up, so self-awareness looks achievable. Seems sentient to me.


Claggett claims he’s not worried about imminent robot weddings—but he is worried about AI gaining legal rights like power of attorney, thus handling your bank account. I have warned in the past about the inevitable takeover of Earth by SkyNet. This could be the beginning...how SkyNet can fund the next wave.

When I read about this I thought of a story years ago in which an elderly wealthy man married his 19 year old maid, then died a month later. His kids were unhappy when the blushing bride inherited much of his vast fortune. Big lawsuit.

One group that could be in for a financial windfall: the kind of lawyers who advertise on billboards next to the highway. They'll get rid of the ads with them sitting on a motorcycle, and replace them with a guy in a suit standing next to R2D2.

Next week: changing books titles in an age of...Changing Book Titles.

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