I recently
listened to a podcast on Science Friday discussing the concerns over the
dangers of artificial intelligence. It
has been a hot topic with people like Bill Gates and Stephen Hawking being
widely quoted in the media speaking of the dangers of AI. The guest speakers were Stuart Russel, Eric
Horvitz, and Max Tegmark.
This has
been talked about for many decades, but is now being discussed seriously
because it is no longer just in the realm of science fiction.
Isaac Asimov’s
The Three Laws of Robotics is often
referred to:
1.
A robot may not injure
a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2.
A robot must obey the
orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with
the First Law.
3.
A robot must protect
its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First
or Second Laws.
The
two questions are: Can human beings make a super intelligence that is also
unable to deviate from these three rules?
Is it worth the risk?
I
think we can and it is, but we need to proceed with caution. We need to take our time and examine things
from every angle. Rushing to create
something just because we can is where the danger lies. With many previous technologies mistakes were
made and damage was done, but it was not irreparable. The guest speakers’ made a good point about
how we may only have one chance to get artificial intelligence right.
Artificial
intelligence is going to happen regardless of who is against it. It is too big of a discovery/accomplishment
for humanity to push aside. It just is
not in human nature. Now the discussion
needs to be: How do we do this
responsibly?
Check
out the podcast for yourself:
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