Robots arouse concerns over how smart they may become

By Dick Pelletier

      

    After receiving a level-5 upgrade, Bradley, the family robot is becoming a problem. He now thinks and feels more human-like, and although he is still eager to clean house, maintain security, and prepare meals, lately he's been asking for some 'alone' time; and he recently joined a robots rights group. We wonder what's next; nights off, dating privileges?

    Although this scenario may sound like fiction, it depicts a time when robots, programmed with human consciousness, will want to be treated more like humans. In a recent report, The World in 2030, futurist Ray Hammond predicts that over the next two decades, artificial intelligence and robotics advances will produce humanoid robots that think and feel similar to the ways that we do.

    Roboticist Hans Moravec, founder of Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute believes robots are evolving similar to how life on Earth evolved, but much faster. Every human task, he says, both physical and intellectual, will one day be performed far more efficiently by robots.

    Experts at the Blue Brain Project, an international effort to build a functioning artificial brain within ten years, believe this technology might one day provide robots with human-like consciousness, which could raise their intelligence, enabling them to outthink humans.

    At a recent Monterey Bay, California meeting on the future of artificial intelligence organized by Microsoft researcher Eric Horvitz, roboticists bandied about the idea of an "intelligence explosion" in which smart machines would design even more intelligent machines, which computer scientist Vernor Vinge called "The Singularity," a time when technologies advance at speeds beyond the ability for humans to comprehend.

    But Futurist Ray Kurzweil's vision of technological utopia also captured imaginations at this Silicon Valley get-together, noting that the coming of ultra-smart machines could offer huge advances in extending human life, solving global warming, and creating a scarcity-free world.

    Tomorrow's android-like robots will assume an uncanny human resemblance. Former Disney scientist David Hanson has developed artificial robot skin that bunches and wrinkles like human skin, creating smiles, frowns, and grimaces in human-like ways. Future robot mannerisms will mimic humans perfectly.

The following list suggests a timetable for robot advances:

2015 – Crude utility 'bots that although frustrating at times, perform many household chores, assist seniors and children, and provide family security.

2020 – More advanced 'bots prepare meals, set tables, clean house, interface with communication and entertainment systems, strengthen security, and develop friendships with family members.

2025 – Our silicon creations now match human mental capabilities for performing in the real world. They act as guides, escorts, check out groceries, and have become irreplaceable in homes. Robot abuse will prompt Congress to pass an android civil rights bill.

2030 and beyond – Kurzweil predicts late 2030s robots will surpass human intelligence and help solve many problems including environmental destruction, poverty and disease, and begin the psychological processes that by centuries end, will unite humanity into a peaceful global village.

    Should we fear our clever creations? Kurzweil says there's little need for alarm. By the time robots surpass humans in brainpower, neural science will enable us to interface with our silicon wonders and share their intelligence. Get ready to enjoy this amazing "magical future."

This article appeared in various print publications and on-line blogs. Comments always welcome.