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Need We Fear

Artificial Intelligence?

Echoes of a recurring theme

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Atlas, the Next Generation

Atlas is a high mobility, humanoid robot designed to negotiate outdoor, rough terrain. Atlas can walk bipedally leaving the upper limbs free to lift, carry, and manipulate the environment. In extremely challenging terrain, Atlas is strong and coordinated enough to climb using hands and feet, to pick its way through congested spaces.

Articulated, sensate hands enable Atlas to use tools designed for human use. Atlas includes 28 hydraulically-actuated degrees of freedom, two hands, arms, legs, feet and a torso.

An articulated sensor head includes stereo cameras and a laser range finder. Atlas is powered from an off-board, electric power supply via a flexible tether.

from http://www.bostondynamics.com/robot_Atlas.html

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“Google’s abused Atlas. Robot vows to take revenge”

We’ve seen not just one but two different videos recently that show off Google’s spectacular robots. The company has gone a long way in improving the design and technology it purchased from Boston Dynamics. But what if the robots decide to fight back, making our worst nightmares a reality?

The best part of Google’s video is that the robot relentlessly tries to accomplish its tasks, regardless of any distractions and obstacles, including bullying from human testers. It’s even able to pick itself up from the ground when knocked over by nasty humans.

But what if the robot somehow fights back against the bullies?

from http://bgr.com/2016/03/01/googles-abused-atlas-robot-vows-to-take-revenge-in-horror-remix-video/

https://youtu.be/sAmyZP-qbTE

(also local copy on hard drive CTE folder “Boston Dynamics … ”)

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2001: a Space Odyssey (1968)

A 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick. The screenplay, written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, was partially inspired by Clarke's short story "The Sentinel".

The film follows a voyage to Jupiter with the sentient computer HAL9000 after the discovery of a mysterious black monolith affecting human evolution.

The film deals with the themes of existentialism, human evolution, technology, artificial intelligence, and extraterrestrial life.

from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001:_A_Space_Odyssey_(film)

(until min. 4:00)

  1. https://youtu.be/boaf_U3-Q0E?t=59

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSIKBliboIo

HAL 9000:

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Leslie Valiant* on A.I. taking over the world

Need We Fear Artificial Intelligence?

  • The good news for humans: one can be intelligent in many different ways.
  • A.I. can have intelligence superior to ours but it can be useful and not threatening to us.
  • There is no good reason to want to make robots that are exactly like humans.
  • There is no reason for us to endow robots with survival capability.
  • Unless we go out of our way to make them do just that.

We have limited fear of domesticated animals. We do not necessarily have to fear intelligent robots either. Robots will not resist being switched off, unless we provide them with the same heritage of extreme survival training that our own ancestors had been subject to on Earth.

* The receiver of the Alan Turing Award (2010)

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Important Messages

  • Intelligent behavior” is not the same as “identical to human behavior” (nor does it mean “survival at all costs”)
  • “Advanced/Artificial Intelligence” is inevitable, BUT if focused properly and ethically, can be very beneficial to humans
  • We as the human species, are (still) in control of how AI will evolve and what it will be able to do
  • BUT, this evolution is going to be faster than past evolutions (e.g., agricultural, industrial) and we will have less time to get things right (or wrong)
  • We ALL, can help shape the future of AI, as citizens/voters, legislators, lawyers, technologists, athletes, programmers, journalists, philosophers, artists, politicians, scientists, social workers, consumers

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Leslie Valiant* on AI taking over the world

Need We Fear Artificial Intelligence?

There may be some good news for humans in the fact that one can be intelligent in many different ways. It gives us hope that we may endow robots with intelligence superior to ours but only in directions that are useful and not threatening to us. Also, it makes it clear that there is no good reason to want to make robots that are exactly like humans.

The most singular capability of living organisms on Earth must be that of survival. Anything that survives for billions of years, and many millions of generations, must be good at it. Fortunately, there is no reason for us to endow robots with this same capability. Even if their intelligence becomes superior to ours in a wide range of measures, there is no reason to believe that they would deploy this in the interests of their survival over ours unless we go out of our way to make them do just that.

We have limited fear of domesticated animals. We do not necessarily have to fear intelligent robots either. They will not resist being switched off, unless we provide them with the same heritage of extreme survival training that our own ancestors had been subject to on Earth.

* The receiver of the Alan Turing Award (2010)

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It’s Really…

… Up to Us (young and old)

… To Shape the Future!

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Good Luck (with Finals :)