Blogpost #10: Computers Take Over

It may sound a lot like the plot of “The Terminator,” but computer technology is advancing daily and some believe that self-aware machines could take over the world. After all, there are few areas of life where computers don’t intrude; they run banks, hospitals, stock markets and airports. Previously, computers were only as good as the humans using them, but what if independently acting machines would be capable of outsmarting or destroying their creators.

I found in a recent article about "11 ways the world could end" in (www.mnn.com/ earth-matters/11-ways-the-world-as-we-know-it-could-end/computers-take) where "Renowned scientist Stephen Hawking thinks computers could be a threat and argues that humans should be genetically engineered in order to compete with the phenomenal growth of artificial intelligence. In a recent interview he even said, “The danger is real that they could develop intelligence and take over the world.” The idea of a computer takeover may sound absurd, but you never know, we could be in the Matrix right now."

Robots can do a lot for us: they can explore space or they can cut our toenails. But do advances in robotics and artificial intelligence hold hidden threats? 

I've come to a site which was entitled  "When Science Meets Sci-Fi. Could Robots Really Take Over The World?" in (http://www.bluebadgestyle.com/2013/11 /science meets-sci-fi-robots-really-take-world/) that talks about: "The theoretical moment when artificial intelligence surpasses humankind is known as ‘the singularity’ and according to some people – and these people aren’t all odd eccentrics standing on street corners, without any shoes on, ranting – the singularity is not far away from taking place. In 2011, Ray Kurzweil, Director of Engineering at Google, argued that it appeared increasingly likely that the singularity will occur around 2045. He told Time magazine: “We will successfully reverse-engineer the human brain by the mid-2020s. By the end of that decade, computers will be capable of human-level intelligence.”

During our series on the Generation of Disability, we’ve been ringing the praises of the advancement towards autonomous human robots of the sci-fi ilk, which could really benefit the less able. Robots with incredible levels of dexterity and function already exist, and can aid and assist the less able and even provide a level of companionship. These robots aren’t available to buy yet but the technology is basically all there. Research into cognitive, autonomous ‘brains’ is progressing all the time too, but we have to pause to consider the potential problems that it could bring.

"By the end of the century, the entire solar system -- planets, moons and asteroids -- will be explored and mapped by flotillas of tiny robotic craft" - Martin Reese