Question: Do you think we'll create intelligent A.I. in the near (~100 years) future? If yes, do you think it will benefit us in the long run, or will it be our downfall like we always see in films?
I think it’s a dangerous path personally. I’m sure computer scientists will claim that humans will always be in control, but where do you draw the line? I’d hate to think that we pursue AI to the point where we have a sci-fi version of autonomous beings and then regret it!
I think you could argue that humans have already created intelligent A.I. For example, think about self-driving cars, face recognition software and the idea that machines have been said to have passed the Turing test (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-27762088), which is argued to be the test of a machine’s ability to demonstrate intelligent behaviour. I think the important question is not whether we can create intelligent machines, but whether those machines will become self-aware. That really then would be within the realms of science fiction!
Yes. The major problem here is that people tend to only get round to thinking about all the implications of a new technology and what regulation is actually required after the new tech has been developed and released, not before. So I think it’s important that the powers that be get ahead of the game on this one or we might find ourselves in very dangerous territory.
Do you know what? This is well beyond my field of expertise! I think back to what technologies we had a hundred years ago – and am reminded we’d just finished fighting the First World War and given married women the right to vote in elections. Things can change a lot in 100 years, and I would guess artificial intelligence is going to be one area of great change and development. I’m not sure we as a society have completely got to grips with the implications of it all – and like Kathryn says, this is an important thing we should get better at working out before technologies take over rather than afterwards when it’s too late!
I think it’s difficult to say anything definite about that far ahead into the future. I believe there will be AIs that will perform very complicated tasks (especially requiring the processing of large amounts of information) well beyond a human’s capability, if that’s what’s meant by ‘intelligence’.
However, if by ‘intelligence’ we mean something like ‘self-awareness’ or ‘self-determination’ (like the ‘Control’ in the latest season from Star Trek Discovery) then I’m less inclined to believe that’s possible.
I’m a strong supporter of technological evolution and innovation. Technology provides tools that can be used for good as well as destruction. So whether AIs are going to benefit or ruing human kind depends entirely on us.
I actually do! Maybe it is from watching too many episodes of Black Mirror but I think AI is close to being a part of our daily lives. Although, I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing, as long as we are careful about how and when we use it. For example, there have been AI programmes that have been better than expert surgeons at detecting cancer, so if they are used for positive things like this then I think AI has the potential to benefit humanity a lot!
As is true of any new technology, AI can be used for good or for ill. It is up to us to elect people who will take the promise and threat of any new technology seriously. The promise of AI is enormous. Let me take an everyday example. Many people now wear wristwatches that monitor their heart rate and a few other vital signs. These devices will become ever more powerful and AI-enabled and could transform health care. There are many reasons why do we get sick. One reason is that we ignore signs from our body that suggest something is not right. Another is that changes happen in our body of which we are unaware until it is too late. Wearable technology will monitor more and more aspects of our person and AI-based algorithms will be able to detect potential problems long before symptoms appear thereby allowing early intervention to prevent us from falling ill. As the cost of this AI-based technology falls, a greater fraction of our fellow travelers on this planet will have access to the most sophisticated preventative medical system that science can provide. That would have a profound effect on the well-being of billions of people. But, AI could also be used in terrifying ways. Recently, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists warned about the pending development of “swarm warefare”, huge swarms of weaponized micro-drones that could be deployed to seek and kill specific human beings. The micro-drones would use advanced facial recognition AI to seek their targets and detonate close to the unfortunate persons. That is horrible enough, but now imagine that a terrorist hacker hacks into the swarm network and reprograms the swarm to target the leadership of a country, or perhaps the hacker uploads to the swarm random pictures of people from Facebook. The world could be a nightmare. But, it is up to you to make sure first that you take your education seriously and second that you one day elect leaders who are aware of the threats and promise of AI.
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Harrison commented on :
As is true of any new technology, AI can be used for good or for ill. It is up to us to elect people who will take the promise and threat of any new technology seriously. The promise of AI is enormous. Let me take an everyday example. Many people now wear wristwatches that monitor their heart rate and a few other vital signs. These devices will become ever more powerful and AI-enabled and could transform health care. There are many reasons why do we get sick. One reason is that we ignore signs from our body that suggest something is not right. Another is that changes happen in our body of which we are unaware until it is too late. Wearable technology will monitor more and more aspects of our person and AI-based algorithms will be able to detect potential problems long before symptoms appear thereby allowing early intervention to prevent us from falling ill. As the cost of this AI-based technology falls, a greater fraction of our fellow travelers on this planet will have access to the most sophisticated preventative medical system that science can provide. That would have a profound effect on the well-being of billions of people. But, AI could also be used in terrifying ways. Recently, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists warned about the pending development of “swarm warefare”, huge swarms of weaponized micro-drones that could be deployed to seek and kill specific human beings. The micro-drones would use advanced facial recognition AI to seek their targets and detonate close to the unfortunate persons. That is horrible enough, but now imagine that a terrorist hacker hacks into the swarm network and reprograms the swarm to target the leadership of a country, or perhaps the hacker uploads to the swarm random pictures of people from Facebook. The world could be a nightmare. But, it is up to you to make sure first that you take your education seriously and second that you one day elect leaders who are aware of the threats and promise of AI.
Kathryn commented on :
Indeed. It’s important to vote for people who are going to be on the ball on this issue.