• tal@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wirehead_(science_fiction)

    Wireheading is a term associated with fictional or futuristic applications[1] of brain stimulation reward, the act of directly triggering the brain’s reward center by electrical stimulation of an inserted wire, for the purpose of ‘short-circuiting’ the brain’s normal reward process and artificially inducing pleasure. Scientists have successfully performed brain stimulation reward on rats (1950s)[2] and humans (1960s). This stimulation does not appear to lead to tolerance or satiation in the way that sex or drugs do.[3] The term is sometimes associated with science fiction writer Larry Niven, who used the term in his Known Space series.[4][5] In the philosophy of artificial intelligence, the term is used to refer to AI systems that hack their own reward channel.[3]

    The VR involved in the comic is probably a bit of an unnecessary middleman, but same basic idea.

    • Ferk@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      We don’t really know if there’s actually VR involved in the comic. The robot does not say that, and the headset might just be to apply electrical stimulation directly to the brain, like the article you linked suggests.