Just the other day I was casually asked about my feelings on artificial intelligence (AI). A bit taken aback – the person asking the question was a mere acquaintance and this was clearly his way of breaking the ice – it was interesting to see how the conversation turned.
You see, there are many different aspects to artificial intelligence, in fields from romance to war. So while one person in the conversation feared the idea of AI taking over jobs, another feared the role they would play in war – but there are a few more roles AI plays, or will play, that makes the whole thing a little scary.
To keep you up tonight with a fresh bout of things to worry about, Dial a Nerd – the peeps who provides professional IT & computer support and solutions across South Africa – jotted down some of the scariest aspects in AI development so far.
Are you ready? Check them:
They understand our behaviour
Every time we use Facebook, we’re unknowingly interacting with an artificial intelligence. During a town hall in Berlin, Mark Zuckerberg explained how Facebook is using artificial intelligence to understand our behaviour.
By understanding how we behave or “interact with things” on Facebook, the AI can make recommendations on what we might find interesting or what would suit our preferences.
They can outsmart a hacker
Although popular culture portrays hacking as glamorous, it realistically is not. Hacking is dangerous, and can take down the entire banking system. Scientists are developing AI that can detect bad hackers. In August 2016, seven teams are set to compete in DARPA’s Cyber Grand Challenge.
The aim of this competition is to come up with super smart AI hackers capable of attacking enemies’ vulnerabilities while at the same time finding and fixing their own weaknesses, “protecting [their] performance and functionality.”
They look like humans
In the video below the robot might look a bit like Sarah Palin, but she is not. She’s Nadine, an artificially intelligent machine who will cordially shake your hand and give you a warm hug.
Eery:
They are weapons
In an effort to ensure “continued military edge over China and Russia,” the Pentagon has proposed a budget of $12 billion to $15 billion for the year 2017. The US military knows that to stay ahead of its enemies, it needs to exploit artificial intelligence.
The Pentagon plans on using the billions it will secure from the government to develop deep-learning machines and autonomous robots alongside other forms of new technology. It wouldn’t be surprising if in a few years, the military will be using AI “killer robots” on the battlefield.
They can be your lover
Movies such as Her have explored the idea of humans falling for robots. But can that really be a thing? Yes – and it’s happening now. Dr. Ian Pearson, a futurologist, released a shocking report in 2015 that says “human-on-robot sex will be more common than human-on-human sex” by 2050.
So how do you feel about the future of AI? Personally, I’m going to run away into a forest (although those AI bumblebees might make their way to my flowers).
