Artificial Intelligence and Robotics

Artificial Intelligence and Robotics:

A New Beginning or the Downfall of Humanity?

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Abstract
Artificial intelligence or AI and robotics, have the potential to be of a great benefit to the world, also
with the creation and the development of AI and robotics man will see fit to weaponize. Thus, with
the ability to create machines that should lead us to a brighter future has the potential to also destroy
us. AI and robotics interact profitably with one another and has resulted in important developments in
the areas of human aberration. This interaction has also resulted in the creation of unmanned drones
that are designed to take life without remorse.

Keywords: Artificial intelligence, robotics, human, aberration, weaponization

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Artificial Intelligence and Robotics:
A New Beginning or the Downfall of Humanity?
Talks about Artificial Intelligence also referred to as AI have become a hot topic of
discussion over the last year, with several respected and informed individuals such as Bill Gates,
Stephen Hawking, and Elon Musk speaking publicly about the threat of AI to the future of
humanity.
Over the last few decades, AI-computing

methods for automated perception, learning,

understanding, and reasoninghave

become commonplace in our lives. We plan trips using
GPS systems that rely on AI to cut through the complexity of millions of routes to find the best
one to take (Dietterich, 2015). The smartphones, tablets, and personal computers that we use
understand our speech. Applications Siri, Cortana, and Google Now are beginning to be able to
interpret what we are saying within the context of what our intentions are. For example, when I
am using voice-to-text on my smartphone I would say something along the lines of I dont
know whether or not to buy my plane ticket now or, wait until I know if the price will go down,
up or stay the same. I say that out loud and it sounds something like this I dont know whether
or not to buy my plane ticket now or comma wait until I know if the price will go down comma
up or stay the same period. Five years ago my smartphone would have written the text like this
I dont no weather or not to buy my plain ticket now or comma wait
until I know if the price will go down comma up or stay the same period
Fast forward to today, and that text message will read exactly as I intended it to be read with
proper punctuation included. AI algorithms detect faces as we take pictures with our phones and
recognize the faces of individual people when we post those pictures to Facebook. Internet
search engines, such as Google and Bing, rely on a fabric of AI subsystems (Dietterich, 2015).

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On any given day artificial intelligence gives millions of people the ability to search the web,
predict traffic patterns, and determine their method of entertainment (i.e. music, movies, and
books). AI translates among languages in real time and speeds up the operation of our laptops
by guessing what well do next. Several companies, such as Google, BMW, and Tesla, are
working on cars that can drive themselveseither

with partial human oversight or entirely
autonomously (Dietterich, 2015). However, going beyond the many influences and effects that
AI has on our daily lives, artificial Intelligence is playing a key part in scientific and medical
advancement. AI currently being used in hospitals is assisting physicians to better prepare and
understand which patients are at highest risk for medical complications. For example, AI
methods have been employed recently to discover subtle interactions between medications that
put patients at risk for serious side effects (Dietterich, 2015).
Along with the benefits of AI also comes the old adage theres two sides to every coin
meaning that, along with the potential disadvantages. One disadvantage in particular is the risk of
programming errors in the AIs software. It is not unfamiliar for your smartphones applications
to sometimes crash. Major software projects, such as HealthCare.Gov, are sometimes riddled
with bugs. Moving beyond nuisances and delays, some software errors have been linked to
extremely costly outcomes and deaths (Dietterich, 2015). However, there are many researchers
that believe that a super intelligent AI is less than likely to possess human emotions like love or
hate, and that there is no reason to expect AI to become intentionally caring or malicious.
Alternatively, when considering how AI might become a risk, experts think two scenarios most
likely:
1. The AI is programmed to do something devastating
2. The AI is programmed to do something beneficial, but it develops a destructive
method for achieving its goal (Tegmark, 2015).

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Autonomous weapons like drones used by the U.S. military to strategically bomb a target
without the worry of losing an American life (assuming this attack is on a foreign country) are
artificial intelligence systems that are programmed for the distinct purpose of taking life. Which
in turn brings about another set of risks cyberattacks. It is no secret that, criminals and
adversaries are continually attacking our computers with viruses and other forms of malware. AI
algorithms are no different from other software in terms of their vulnerability to cyberattack
(Tegmark, 2015). That being said, the effect of a successful cyberattack on AI systems could be
much more devastating than attacks in the past. In essence, if the AI were to fall into the hands of
the wrong person or group these weapons could easily cause mass casualties. Additionally, an
AI arms race could inadvertently lead to an AI war that also results in mass casualties (Tegmark,
2015). This is a threat thats present even with AI in its current state, but as AI and autonomy
increases this threat gains more and more validity.
The second risk factor of AI being programmed to do something beneficial, however, it
develops a destructive method for achieving its goal is also something to be concerned about.
This can happen whenever we fail to fully align the AIs goals with ours, which is strikingly
difficult. If you ask an obedient intelligent car to take you to the airport as fast as possible, it
might get you there chased by helicopters and covered in vomit, doing not what you wanted but
literally what you asked for (Tegmark, 2015). If a highly intelligent AI system were to be
programmed to carry out an ambitious geoengineering project, it could potentially cause a
disaster within our ecosystem as a side effect, and with the program it operating with the AI
system could view any human attempts to stop it as a virus or attack on its own system and the
AI could create its solution to prevent that from happening. These examples, as farfetched as
they may be, illustrate a very real concern about advanced AI. In a very recent article titled Bill

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Gates on dangers of artificial intelligence Gates was asked what personal computing will look
like in 2045. Gates responded by asserting that the next 30 years will be a time of rapid progress
(Holley, 2015). He also stated that, even in the next 10 (years) problems like vision and speech
understanding and translation will be very good, mechanical robot tasks like picking fruit or
moving a hospital patient will be solved. Once computers/robots get to a level of capability
where seeing and moving is easy for them then they will be used very extensively" (Holley,
2015). "I am in the camp that is concerned about super intelligence, first the machines will do a
lot of jobs for us and not be super intelligent. That should be positive if we manage it well. A few
decades after that though the intelligence is strong enough to be a concern. I agree with Elon
Musk and some others on this and don't understand why some people are not concerned"(Holley,
2015). However, as it states in Gates reply he is not the only great mind of this time that sees AI
as a threat to humanity, that list includes theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, Tesla boss Elon
Musk who at a MIT Symposium referred to AI as summoning the demon, and British inventor
Clive Sinclair stated that he believes that artificial intelligence will doom mankind.
AI does in fact have the potential to make lives easier, by allowing a machine to
understand human needs or drive our cars, however, if it were uncontrolled, this artificial
intelligence technology could pose a grave threat to society. Now, Stephen Hawking, Elon
Musk and dozens of other top scientists and technology leaders have signed a letter warning of
the potential dangers of developing artificial intelligence (Lewis, 2015). I heard a speech given
by Charlie Chaplin in the film The Great Dictator in 1940, in which he said:
We have developed speed, but we have shut ourselves in. Machinery that gives abundance has left us in want. Our
knowledge has made us cynical. Our cleverness, hard and unkind. We think too much and feel too little. More than
machinery we need humanity. More than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness. Without these qualities, life
will be violent and all will be lost...

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Even though that was a speech in a movie in 1940 its message is still relevant today.

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References
Dietterich, T.G. (2015, January 22). Benefits and Risks of Artificial Intelligence. Retrieved February 03, 2016, from
https://medium.com/@tdietterich/benefits-and-risks-of-artificial-intelligence-460d288cccf3#.e33jqvgcf
Tegmark, M. (2015, November 13). Benefits & Risks of Artificial Intelligence. Retrieved February 03, 2016, from
http://futureoflife.org/background/benefits-risks-of-artificial-intelligence /
Holley, P. (2015, January 29). Bill Gates on dangers of artificial intelligence: I dont understand why some people
are not concerned. Retrieved February 03, 2016, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/theswitch/wp/2015/01/28/bill-gates-on-dangers-of-artificial-intelligence-dont-understand-why-some-peopleare-not-concerned/
Lewis, T. (2015, December). Don't Let Artificial Intelligence Take Over, Top Scientists Warn. Retrieved February
03, 2016, from http://www.livescience.com/49419-artificial-intelligence-dangers-letter.html
Chaplin, C. (Director). (1940). The Great Dictator [Motion picture on DVD]. Hollywood, CA: United Artists.