Impressed and alarmed by advances in artificial intelligence, a group of computer scientists is debating whether there should be limits on research that might lead to loss of human control over computer-based systems that carry a growing share of society’s workload, from waging war to chatting with customers on the phone. Their concern is that further advances could create profound social disruptions and even have dangerous consequences. As examples, the scientists pointed to a number of technologies as diverse as experimental medical systems that interact with patients to simulate empathy, and computer worms and viruses that defy extermination and could thus be said to have reached a “cockroach” stage of machine intelligence. While the computer scientists agreed that we are a long way from Hal, the computer that took over the spaceship in “2001: A Space Odyssey,” they said there was legitimate concern that technological progress would transform the work force by destroying a widening range of jobs, as well as force humans to learn to live with machines that increasingly copy human behaviors. [Source: nytimes.com]Eh, I’m not terribly worried. After all, we have E.M.P.s. Unless the E.M.P.s become sentient, or the machines can find a way to change launch codes. I have to imagine that we’d have enough warning, though. To really be a threat, all the world’s machines would have to organize a là Maximum Overdrive and as of yet, magical alien comet technology is not that advanced.
Link to the whole article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/26/science/26robot.html?_r=1&WT.mc_id=fb_nyt413&WT.mc_ev=click
