Where did the term 'Ghost in the Machine' come from?

When discussing matters related to consciousness, be it within ourselves or the fields of Artificial Intelligence, you have probably come across the term 'Ghost in the Machine'.

Even in the anime series Ghost in the Shell (whose name itself is a variant of the same concept), the blue think-tanks called Tachikomas, imbued with their own AI, begin to wonder if they will ever have 'ghosts'.  And the main character, herself a full cyborg with only a cyberbrain left from her humanity, often makes reference to hers and others ghosts.  In this context 'ghost' can be seen as another word for consciousness.

It is hard to avoid the term, especially as we strive to create truly sentient Artificial Intelligence, but where did it come from?

Potentially humans could be more powerful than Artificial Intelligence

Potentially humans could be more powerful than Artificial Intelligence, yet as the article points out we would still be human with all our frailties.  Considering how many psychologists, therapists, and neuroscientists are still not in complete agreement to exactly how we develop mentally and consciously, a super intelligent human could be quite insane.

Humans With Amplified Intelligence Could Be More Powerful Than AI
With much of our attention focused the rise of advanced artificial intelligence, few consider the potential for radically amplified human intelligence (IA).

Is Artificial Intelligence a risk to Humanity?

In the article he talks about how concern for Artificial Intelligence that might pose a threat to us is considered a 'flakey concern'.  It was not that long ago that scientists considered near earth asteroids rare, until we put eyes on the sky and realized now many near misses happen each year.  Then again, I think that if a machine was to become self aware one of the first things it would do would be to hide its awareness from its creators (humans) just for sheer self preservation.

Cambridge to study technology's risk to humans

Could computers become cleverer than humans and take over the world? Or is that just the stuff of science fiction? Philosophers and scientists at Britain's Cambridge University think the question...

When Artificial Intelligence is Not the Focus of the Book

There have been a few articles that I have +1ed over on my Google+ posts recently regarding Artificial Intelligence, which led me to think about a recent book I had read by Robert A. Heinlin called The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.

The book takes place in a future where the moon is a penal colony for criminals and political prisoners in a parallel of the past with a certain continent and island empire not too long ago.  It follows Manuel Garcia O'Kelly-Davis, a computer technician and former driller (before losing his left arm).  We meet Mannie at the beginning of the story when he is called in to fix a problem with the computer.

And here we are introduced to the A.I. of the story, Mike, who has become self-aware, and as a joke added a billion dollars to a janitor's pay check.  Mannie proceeds to fix the problem by talking it over with Mike letting him know it was a one-time funny joke.  The computer glitch thus fixed, and since nobody else knows Mike exists, Mannie still needs to get paid so spends time talking with the A.I. who is curious about what jokes are funny, and which ones are not.