Why robots will take over the world. Killer robots: can artificial intelligence take over the world? Scientists are close to creating ideal artificial intelligence
You've probably already heard that robots are going to take our jobs. And that this will allow future generations to finally do what they love, to get involved in hobbies and creativity. For now, our robot friends will take on the lion's share of our daily work and menial labor. And while much of this is true, robots are likely to take over a significant share of work in industry - and then, in the not-too-distant future, don't be surprised if the waiter, taxi driver, or even the person on the other end of the phone is a robot. Just a second...
Although robots are gradually taking away jobs from some people and causing worries for others, it is believed that the growth of the robotics industry is helping to revitalize the labor market - creating new roles and positions that have not yet existed.
Particularly interesting is the market for custom robots, which is estimated to reach $33 billion by 2025. Robot creators are trying to understand the relationship between humans and robots and its impact on consumer culture. They are also trying to understand how all this affects different markets, business prospects and the jobs that are yet to be created. History has shown that people have always adapted and taken advantage of new opportunities when something like this happened. Here are five options for the new jobs that will (likely) be created for humans when robots take over the world.
Singing teacher for a robot
There will certainly be companies focused on development software and robotic applications whose functions extend beyond the typical factory worker. This may include the functions of dancing and singing, or learning a language, or cooking - and the reality is that all this is closer than we think. Softbank's social robot Pepper, which has been well received in the US and UK, can already sing and dance to entertain its owner.
To provide the robot with the necessary functionality, there will be a job market for people who will develop the software and hardware that takes the capabilities of such robots to an amazing level.
Plastic surgeons for robots
Of course, all good robots will need to become personal, so it's highly likely that companies will hire people to update personal robots with more powerful limbs or faster processors.
People are up to their necks in various forms of physical enhancement, be it sports, makeup or, in some cases, plastic surgery. As people become more connected to social robots, so will the demand for so-called customization capabilities for robots.
The new social robot Buddy from Bluefrogrobotics already offers a similar option - it promises to constantly improve to ensure that the user experience is as interesting and delightful as possible. Obviously, improving such robots will require not just the experience of professionals - entire teams of “personalizers” will be needed.
Nannies for robots
Like humans, robots need periodic “doctor visits” to ensure the robot is running smoothly. Technicians serving robots already exist, and what’s most interesting is that the demand for them is growing along with the growth of the industry - however, until now everything has been limited to the industrial sphere. With the development of social robots, there will also be a need for “nannies” for robots who will keep them in working order and in good shape.
Travel agents for robots
It is very likely that people will want to take robots with them on trips. Well, how can you take off and rush to the islands without your favorite robot? As people become more attached to a robot—be it a child's robot or an elderly person's companion—people will be less willing to part with it, just as they are with a smartphone today.
Just like people, robots will need seats on planes and trains, and a whole area of transportation for robots may emerge. Don’t forget that every robot needs its own special storage conditions - it’s unlikely that a horse from Boston Dynamics can be seated in a standard chair.
Judges and organizers for the best robots in the show
Research shows that people develop close relationships with their pets - such as cats - because they complement themselves. In some cases, these pets or cars become status symbols - motivating the owner to spend more money on them and show them off in public. In the near future, robots will also become “an extension of ourselves,” so get ready.
Just as people exhibit their dogs and cats at shows, chances are many proud robot owners will also be interested in showing off their customized pets to others to gain recognition for their design. This will lead to the emergence of companies that dedicate their activities to organizing events and meetings where “owners” will show off their robots. Someone else will have to judge these events.
Systems development artificial intelligence opens the door to the fourth industrial revolution for humanity. Robots are becoming smarter, and their ability to self-learn is amazing. Recently, the Hong Kong company Hanson Robotics developed an android named Sophia based on a self-learning neural network. She perceives the world with cameras built into her eyes, can talk to people and depict dozens of different emotions. However, Sofia is still far from the ideal of robotics. During the Davos Economic Forum held in January 2018, after the Ukrainian delegation asked what to do about corruption in the country.
Sofia began presenting “surprises” a year after her use. So, when asked by developer David Hanson if she wanted to destroy humanity, she replied: “Okay, I want to destroy humanity.” Later, Sofia jokingly shared her plan to take over the world on the popular evening show with host Jimmy Fallon. However, not all viewers appreciated the joke. Many felt completely uneasy when they drew parallels with the 2014 feature film Ex Machina, where a female robot escapes human control and brutally deals with her creator.
Who can guarantee that Hanson Robotics' creation won't do the same over time? Who knows what happens inside a neural brain that trains itself day after day?
Military historian, director of the Air Defense Museum Yuri Knutov, in the “Political Detective” program on the Zvezda TV channel, expressed his concerns about the development of artificial intelligence. The expert did not rule out that at a certain stage the robots may decide that they need to get rid of people.
“Artificial intelligence may simply decide at a certain stage that a person is imperfect. And we need to get rid of people. And that the earth should belong to machines with artificial intelligence,” Knutov suggested.
Many experts believe that the Pentagon is the most vocal advocate for the development of artificial intelligence. The US armed forces intend to focus on the development of combat robots, as well as their use in ground operations. In particular, the engineering company Boston Dynamics, specializing in robotics, creates many platforms for the US Department of Defense.
“In general, you know, these robots, in principle, were created specifically for military purposes and for the US Department of Defense,” explains Vladimir Bely, founder and CEO of the robotics company.
Boston Dynamics engineers make the achievements of their robots publicly available. For example, a video with SpotMini, a robotic hybrid of a dog and a giraffe, is very popular on the Internet. He handles fragile objects well and can be a great helper in the kitchen.
The smart cars of this company are so similar to living beings that any new Boston Dynamics video causes a serious resonance. The public received the humanoid robot Atlas with particular delight. He recently demonstrated the wonders of owning his own “body.”
“Atlas always shows the best results. If we take simple processes, then he can easily stand on one leg. It works for a very long time. Capable of lifting large loads, and at the end of 17 they demonstrated a real breakthrough in robotics - this robot did a somersault. This is a huge leap in the direction of mechatronics and in the calculation of all hygroscopic systems of a technical device,” explains Oleg Kivokurtsev, director of the company developing Promobot.
Few people think about the areas in which such skills may be useful. And who might the best US robotics engineers actually work for?
“They create a fun hype and make the robots do somersaults. They show that they are only developing dynamic balance systems, practicing walking or these jumps. But in essence, in principle, such a robot is capable of covering a distance, there, picking up a weapon and shooting a person. Well, in principle, the terminators are ready,” believes Vladimir Bely.
Boston Dynamics is vying for a tidy sum this year as part of the Pentagon's new military program. The DARPA agency (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) allocates billions of dollars to the company for development in the field of computer technology.
In other words, all these funny iron creatures that the world applauds may soon become combat units of the US Army.
A friendly android named Pepper was developed by SoftBank Robotics to live alongside people without annoying them. Will we treat robots as machines, as pets, or as sentient beings? Soon, the problems of relationships with artificial intelligence will have to be solved not only by scientists and engineers, but also by children, housewives and pensioners - according to forecasts, 31 billion robot servants will help us at home in 2019.
Promobot is a hero again
Promobots are probably the most famous Russian robots. They work mainly as guides, in shopping centers and at events where they need to entertain the public. Their skills are enough to avoid bumping into people and maintain a conversation by making silly jokes. But this was enough to sell better than all other Russian service robots combined.
Apparently, PR plays a significant role in this. At first, Promobot made the news as a “runaway robot”: it rolled out of the test site through an open gate and stopped in the middle of the roadway, creating a traffic jam. Some time later, the robot acted as an agitator in the State Duma elections and was detained for an illegal single picket - they even tried to handcuff him.
But everything was eclipsed by a new feat: by raising his hand, Promobot saved the girl on whom the rack began to fall. The creators say that they do not know the exact reason for the chivalrous act: either the robot was going to say hello, or it was working in mirror mode and repeated the gesture of the girl who raised her hands.
You've probably already heard that robots are going to take our jobs. And that this will allow future generations to finally do what they love, to get involved in hobbies and creativity. For now, our robot friends will take on the lion's share of our daily work and menial labor. And while much of this is true, robots are likely to take over a significant share of work in industry - and then, in the not-too-distant future, don't be surprised if the waiter, taxi driver, or even the person on the other end of the phone is a robot. Just a second...
Although robots are gradually taking away jobs from some people and causing worries for others, it is believed that the growth of the robotics industry is helping to revitalize the labor market - creating new roles and positions that have not yet existed.
Particularly interesting is the market for custom robots, which is estimated to reach $33 billion by 2025. Robot creators are trying to understand the relationship between humans and robots and its impact on consumer culture. They are also trying to understand how all this affects different markets, business prospects and the jobs that are yet to be created. History has shown that people have always adapted and taken advantage of new opportunities when something like this happened. Here are five options for the new jobs that will (likely) be created for humans when robots take over the world.
Singing teacher for a robot
Companies are sure to emerge focused on developing software and applications for robots whose functions extend beyond the typical factory worker. This may include the functions of dancing and singing, or learning a language, or cooking - and the reality is that all this is closer than we think. Softbank's social robot Pepper, which has been well received in the US and UK, can already sing and dance to entertain its owner.
To provide the robot with the necessary functionality, there will be a job market for people who will develop the software and hardware that takes the capabilities of such robots to an amazing level.
Plastic surgeons for robots
Of course, all good robots will need to become personal, so it's highly likely that companies will hire people to update personal robots with more powerful limbs or faster processors.
People are up to their necks in various forms of physical enhancement, be it sports, makeup or, in some cases, plastic surgery. As people become more connected to social robots, so will the demand for so-called customization capabilities for robots.
The new social robot Buddy from Bluefrogrobotics already offers a similar option - it promises to constantly improve to ensure that the user experience is as interesting and delightful as possible. Obviously, improving such robots will require not just the experience of professionals - entire teams of “personalizers” will be needed.
Nannies for robots
Like humans, robots need periodic “doctor visits” to ensure the robot is running smoothly. Technicians serving robots already exist, and what’s most interesting is that the demand for them is growing along with the growth of the industry - however, until now everything has been limited to the industrial sphere. With the development of social robots, there will also be a need for “nannies” for robots who will keep them in working order and in good shape.
Travel agents for robots
It is very likely that people will want to take robots with them on trips. Well, how can you take off and rush to the islands without your favorite robot? As people become more attached to a robot—be it a child's robot or an elderly person's companion—people will be less willing to part with it, just as they are with a smartphone today.
Just like people, robots will need seats on planes and trains, and a whole area of transportation for robots may emerge. Don’t forget that every robot needs its own special storage conditions - it’s unlikely that a horse from Boston Dynamics can be seated in a standard chair.
Judges and organizers for the best robots in the show
Research shows that people develop close relationships with their pets - such as cats - because they complement themselves. In some cases, these pets or cars become status symbols - motivating the owner to spend more money on them and show them off in public. In the near future, robots will also become “an extension of ourselves,” so get ready.
Just as people exhibit their dogs and cats at shows, chances are many proud robot owners will also be interested in showing off their customized pets to others to gain recognition for their design. This will lead to the emergence of companies that dedicate their activities to organizing events and meetings where “owners” will show off their robots. Someone else will have to judge these events.
Based on materials from hi-news
Robots can do space exploration and cut our toenails. But there is an opinion that advances in the field of robotics and artificial intelligence bring hidden threat. The modernity and future of robotics were discussed by three employees of the University of Cambridge (UK), who not only philosophize, but by their nature of work are associated with robotics and its ethical side.
Lord Martin Rees (hereinafter MR) is an honorary professor of cosmology and astrophysics at the University of Cambridge, and also has the honorary title of Astronomer Royal. Lord Rees is one of the founders of the Center for the Study of Existential Risk, which brings together scientists, philosophers and software developers.
Kathleen Richardson (KR) is an anthropologist specializing in robots; received her PhD from Cambridge and recently completed her PhD at University College London. She's writing a book about representational models - how they influence the way we think about robots as potential friends and enemies.
Daniel Wolpert (DMU) of the Royal Society of Research is a professor in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Cambridge. He studies bioengineering and particularly the mechanisms that control interactions between the brain and body. His research group's focus is on movement, which is "central to all human activity."
How can robots be useful to us?
MR: Robots are capable of performing a wide variety of tasks. Firstly, they can work in places that humans cannot reach, for example, when eliminating the consequences of accidents in mines, drilling rigs and nuclear power plants. Secondly, and this is also not a very popular job among people, the machines could provide assistance to the elderly and disabled in their Everyday life like tying shoelaces, cutting nails, etc. Moreover, miniature robots could get inside our body to monitor our health, perform surgeries, etc.
KR: Human capabilities are limited, this is where robots would come in handy - for example, in the exploration and exploration of outer space. As for helping the elderly and weak, we could perform these responsibilities ourselves. The question can be posed like this: why do we want robots to do this or that work for us?
DW: Although computers have learned to beat chess grandmasters, no robot can match the dexterity of a five-year-old child. Today's robotics can be compared to the computers of the 1960s - this expensive cars, used in simple, repetitive industrial processes. But over time, computers turned into smartphones, and a similar fate awaits robots: they will be everywhere, they will be of different sizes, they will take over everyday tasks and even become our partners.
When will artificial intelligence surpass human intelligence?
MR: For now, we are either empty or thick. About thirty years ago, it became possible for the first time to relatively cheaply buy an arithmetic machine that could count faster than us, and already in the 1990s, the IBM Deep Blue computer defeated the world chess champion Kasparov. Just recently, Watson, another computer from the same company, beat people in a game show where questions were asked in ordinary human language. But at the same time, robots still cannot perceive the environment the way a child does, for example, recognize chessmen on a real, not virtual board. By the end of the century they will learn both this and human feelings. Complex moral questions will arise. We take it for granted that humans and animals need to realize their “natural” potential. What about robots? Should we feel guilty for exploiting them? Should we worry if they are underemployed, if they are resentful, if they are bored?
KR: As an anthropologist, I doubt the objective existence of human intelligence. How to measure it is decided by a specific cultural tradition. Each generation has its own ideas about what it means to be human, what qualities are unique to humans, etc. Then a machine appears that also has a similar quality, and the fear arises that humanity is about to be destroyed. This can be called a modern form of animism - the ancient ideas that all natural and artificial objects are animate. We still see faces and mystical figures in clouds and marmite sandwiches to this day. Fear of robots and machines tells us more that we are afraid of each other, not technology. We just think that the problem is with the machines, and because of this we exaggerate their capabilities.
DW: In a sense, this has already happened. Machines have learned to fly airplanes, remember and search for information much better than people. At the same time, there are no machines yet capable of identifying visual objects and speech with the reliability and flexibility of a person. Without these abilities, it is impossible to think creatively and invent new problems, that is, to have real human intelligence. I wouldn't expect a machine with human-like creative intelligence to appear within the next 50 years.
Should we be afraid of progress in the field of artificial intelligence?
MR: The only people who should worry are futurologists who believe in the so-called singularity, when robots will gain control over themselves and learn to create even more complex offspring. Also of concern is the increasing dependence of people on computer networks, which one day will turn into a single “brain” with a consciousness similar to ours, and with goals that run counter to the interests of humanity. I think we should ensure that robots remain specialists in one area and lack the ability to outwit humanity, even if they are far superior to us in terms of numeracy and information processing.
KR: We have to ask why the fear of artificial intelligence and robots persists, although no one has yet staged an uprising and challenged human superiority. In order to understand what is behind these fears, it is necessary to comprehend science and technology as carriers of a specific and exclusive type of mimesis, that is, imitation. By endowing machines and robots with artificial intelligence, we create copies of people. Part of what we copy has to do with physical world the creator, in addition to which the creator puts into the machine ideas, technical means and methods of work given by the cultural spirit (science, technology, life itself) of the current moment. All these factors come together and thus artificial intelligence and robots emerge. Why is this copy so scary to us? Not everyone is afraid of a robot uprising; many welcome machine intelligence and see in it a wonderful opportunity to create new life. Therefore, to understand why some are afraid and others welcome, we need to understand what types of mimesis are used in the creation of robots.
DW: We already know what harm the simplest forms of artificial self-replicating intelligence can cause - I'm talking about computer viruses. But in this case, the real intelligence is their malicious creator. The most important thing is that the benefits of computers outweigh the harm of viruses. By analogy, we can assume that robots will also not always be used correctly, but the benefits from them will outweigh the negative aspects. I think it makes sense to worry that one day robot intelligence will surpass human intelligence, and that robots will learn to design and produce more complex robots than themselves.
Will robots help colonize other planets?
MR: By the end of the century, all solar system- planets, their moons and asteroids - will be studied and mapped by fleets of tiny robotic vehicles. Next step mining of minerals from asteroids will begin, which will make it possible to create huge structures directly in space without the need to deliver raw materials and components from Earth. It will become possible to produce products of unprecedented size: giant telescopes with spider-web-thin mirrors assembled in zero gravity, solar collectors, and so on. I believe this is more realistic and harmless than the so-called terraforming of planets, which must be preserved in the status of our Antarctica (at least until we are convinced that there are no life forms there).
KR: I don’t really like the word “colonize,” whether we’re talking about people or robots. Europeans colonized the lands of other peoples and brought with them slavery, problems, diseases, and suffering. On Earth or on Mars - everywhere we must act based on the interests of the Other, that is, not impose a specific model, but meet the Other halfway. Robots can help us get to places we can't go on our own, but those robots shouldn't interpret for us what they see there.
DW: I don't see any urgent need to colonize other planets until we learn how to bring valuable resources back to Earth. The lion's share of our home planet is still inaccessible to us. Let the robots collect resources closer to home.
What can you learn about robots from science fiction?
MR: I tell students that it is better to read good science fiction than second-rate scientific literature - it is more interesting, and the level of error in forecasts is about the same. Even those of us who don't believe in a singularity by mid-century expect a steady, if not increased, flow of innovation in bio- and nanotechnology and computer science. Probably, in a few centuries, robotic creatures with superhuman intelligence will appear. Posthuman intelligence (in organic form or in the form of autonomously developing artifacts) will create hypercomputers whose performance is sufficient to simulate living beings and even entire worlds. Perhaps they will become a thing of the past in cinema and computer games, because they will be created virtual worlds, comparable in complexity to ours. It is possible that such superintelligence already exists in the Universe.
KR: Fiction, including science fiction, is very important to our lives. In Western culture, it is generally accepted that reality is one thing, and fiction, imagination, is something else. This is not true in all cultures. Science and technology separated the two because they needed to define their areas of interest. Thus, they downplayed the importance of such important knowledge systems as myths and metaphors. But the barriers are small, and the two worlds collide from time to time. Sometimes we need both of them to see the whole picture. Maybe that's why we will stop being afraid of our own copies.
DW: Science fiction has often been great at predicting the future. Arthur C. Clarke wrote about satellite communications, and the communicators from Star Trek already look primitive compared to today's mobile phones. Science fiction has vividly depicted possible futures. We have seen how cute and useful robots are (" Star Wars"), and a dystopian society ("I, Robot"). Interestingly, almost none of these options can do without robots...
