By the author of Be Ready for Anything and the online course Bloom Where You’re Planted
With all of the recent advances in artificial intelligence, are you starting to get worried? You really have to wonder how long it will be before human beings become redundant.
Maybe you should be concerned. In many cases, robots can easily replace humans in the manufacturing industry, the medical system, and even food service. Some theories suggest that offering universal basic income is the first step toward ushering in a world in which robots have all the jobs and humans live off the goodness of the government…for as long as that lasts. (Check out this documentary for more information.)
But losing job opportunities isn’t the only reason for concern. Not only is today’s AI extremely advanced, but it also has the capability to learn. Recently, many people were alarmed when an AI called Alpha Zero learned how to play chess in 4 hours, then beat world champion human chess players using moves never seen before.
It’s almost like the people developing these robots have never seen any of the Terminator movies, in which artificial intelligence overtakes its creators and declares war on the human race. Should we stop worrying about nuclear war with North Korea and worry about the robot apocalypse instead?
It goes even further. Some experts believe that sex between humans and robots could complete replace sex between two humans by 2050. Maybe that is how the human race ends – no one wants to procreate with another human being anymore, so babies just stop being born. And honestly, in this recent age of sexual harassment McCarthyism, you can kind of see why some folks would feel like robot sex is safer than flirting with someone. (Chill out. I’m not suggesting you go purchase a sex robot.)
The video below gives us a glimpse of some of the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence that has occurred just over the past year.
Could this become one of the biggest threats we face in our generation?
I wouldn’t worry too much. Robots will always be limited by the size of their battery or the length of their extension cords. One good black out will reduce them all to useless junk.
Daisy,
Interesting discussion. I am always interested in how the “never worked with their hands” crowd views labor. Especially in regards to assembly line work. AI is great, if you are making a brick like widget. Like a cell phone. Or a camera. Not so good with cars. Seems that what humans want many times is something that can only be made by human hands.
I don’t want to start an argument here. But it is funny to me that the inhumanity of assembly line work is going to be replaced by robots. Well, that is great! The people with jobs that have been lost to AI won’t have the money to buy goods and services made by AI. Then the AI bots can lay idle at the plant. Or the office. Or the home. The home being vacated because those people don’t have any jobs, so can’t pay the mortgage, utilities and homeowners insurance.
Perhaps this will free up a lot of people to start fresh with their lives. Which will make the owners of AI really mad I guess.
i say 50 years…..maybe less……but then the world is going to war…so it could be 10 years…but no more than 50 years……
You might want to read Dan Brown’s new book ORIGIN.
Karen Evil 9 Third Impression