This may sound like science fiction, or the plot of a Marvel movie, but AFP is reporting that scientists and arms experts in attendance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland have issued a dire warning saying that robots with advanced artificial intelligence (or AI robots) could one day join wars and kill many people.
Source: Experts At Davos Say Weaponized Artificial Intelligence Robots Are Dangerous – STGIST
This is a moonshot challenge, akin to the Human Genome Project in scope. The scientific value of recording the activity of so many neurons and mapping their connections alone is enormous, but that is only the first half of the project. As we figure out the fundamental principles governing how the brain learns, it’s not hard to imagine that we’ll eventually be able to design computer systems that can match, or even outperform, humans.
Source: Harvard will take a close look at the brain to build better AIs
“These changes will not happen overnight, but they are inevitable. Though many doctors will see these changes as a threat, the chance for global good is unprecedented.
An X-ray taken in equatorial Africa could be read with the same reliability as one taken in an Australian centre of excellence. An infectious rash could be uploaded to a phone and the diagnosis given instantly. Many lives will be saved, and the cost of health care to the world’s poor can be minimal and, in many cases, free.”
Source: Digital Diagnosis: Intelligent Machines Do a Better Job Than Humans – Singularity HUB
“This underlying quandary—attempting to define “thought”—is sometimes referred to as the hard problem, and the results of understanding it called strong AI. People engaged in commercial AI remain sceptical that it will be resolved any time soon, or that it is necessary or even desirable for practical benefits. There is no doubt that artificial intelligences are beginning to do very meaningful work, and that the speed of change of technology will continue to shunt things along, but full-blown sentience still seems very far-fetched.”