“A prototype system, designed as a test for a planned array of 5,000 galaxy-seeking robots, is taking shape at the Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab).”
In this London Futurists event, Amnon Eden, lead editor of the volume “Singularity Hypotheses” which was published three years ago, provided an update on the controversies about the Technological Singularity. Topics covered include:
• Luddites, Philistines, and Starry-Eyed: The War over Killer Robots
Has anyone ever run the numbers on just how many people hours and $ spent on AI since 1950? Think about it for a minute; and how little we have advance v. the enhancement of people since the 1990 with BMI technology, bionics, etc. and it’s cost. My guess is Mr. Elon Musk understands the ROI extremely well between AI/ Robots v. human enhancement technology especially where there is a larger return and repeat business opportunity.
Computing has been getting much smarter since the idea of artificial intelligent was first thought of 60 years ago. But are computers intelligent?
Some truth to this if the engineering team and designers are not reflective of the broader world population. Good example, is the super race research of the Nazis and attempts to make it happen. Today, AI in the hands of a N. Korea for example could be bad for the world. However, the larger threat that I see with AI is still the hacking of AI, and stolen AI by criminals to use against society.
Sentient machines are a greater threat to human existence than climate change, according to the Oxford philosopher Nick Bostrom.
Several months ago I warned folks about how criminals can use AI (drones, robots, self driving cars, 3D printers printing drugs, etc.) against the public. Here is another example of how stolen technology can place people at risk.
Australia definitely has a love/hate relationship with 3D printing. There are numerous research programs and innovative ideas coming to us from Down Under, from a periodontist bioprinting jaw and gum cells for future dental surgeries to a group of entrepreneurs using the technology to benefit a charity for children at risk. New partnerships and distribution agreements abound.
3D printing is undoubtedly responsible for an inordinate amount of good happening—with much more to come—on the Australian continent. But the subject of fabricated weaponry has led the government to explore the dark side of this technology, with some police even admitting that they are terrified of 3D printed guns. Whether law enforcement approves or not, the flow of hardware is certainly on the rise for offering the tools of the trade to designers on nearly every level, legal or otherwise.
In most organizations, innovation is treated as a fairly linear process of research, development, demonstration and deployment, with each step acting as its own silo, But at Google, everything works as a tightly coupled feedback loop, with researchers and product teams working hand in hand to not only create new products, but also to identify fruitful research areas for further study.
“Getting close to data and the real needs of users gives you the opportunity to innovate further,“ Corrado told me. He and his team work actively with not only product groups, but also fellow Googlers working on 20% projects. Rather than a group of mad scientists working on Frankenstein monsters deep in the bowels of the organization, they are active collaborators.
That’s how Google Brain filters throughout Google’s innovation ecosystem. TensorFlow provides access to basic machine learning tools, which open up new possibilities for Google’s engineers, who then reach out to the scientists within Google Brain to create new products and features. That creates a rich problem set that helps draw top notch researchers to Google who, in turn, create even more exciting new technology.
With much of our attention focused the rise of advanced artificial intelligence, few consider the potential for radically amplified human intelligence (IA). It’s an open question as to which will come first, but a technologically boosted brain could be just as powerful — and just as dangerous – as AI.
