The Emerging Threat of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence

Tensions are building across the world, and people are becoming increasingly afraid of an obscure but growing threat.

Protests broke out in Austin, Texas this weekend as an emerging organization fights to stop what could very well be the single-greatest danger to mankind today…

I’m not talking about tensions in the Middle East, political unrest, or even nuclear war. In fact, these concerns are dwarfed by the potential catastrophe so many prominent figures have been warning us about in recent months.

Bill Gates has already publicly spoken out against this growing danger. So have Elon Musk, Stephen Hawking, and dozens of other top scientists and technology leaders. This is a real concern, and one we can only expect to become more prominent moving forward…

If you haven’t already guessed, the concern I’m talking about is robots. More specifically, I’m referring to highly advanced, self-aware artificial intelligence (AI).

And while that might sound like something out of a classic Isaac Asimov novel or a cheesy Will Smith flick, the reality of machines taking over the world isn’t as far-fetched as you might think…

“Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn’t compete, and would be superseded,” says Hawking.

“I think we should be very careful about artificial intelligence. If I had to guess at what our biggest existential threat is, it’s probably that. So we need to be very careful,” says Musk. “I’m increasingly inclined to think that there should be some regulatory oversight, maybe at the national and international level, just to make sure that we don’t do something very foolish.”

“I agree with Elon Musk and some others [about robots] and don’t understand why some people are not concerned,” says Gates.

It seems, though, that a growing number of people actually are becoming concerned. These major authority figures aren’t the only ones speaking out to voice their worries — so are ordinary citizens, like the folks pictured below:

Now, as silly as it might seem for people to be chanting “Stop the Robots” in the streets at this point, these Austin protests are actually quite telling.

We’ve seen this scenario play out in countless science fiction films, and now we’re seeing it play out right in front of our eyes.

Robots are already taking the place of human workers in tasks once thought impossible. The Huffington Post, for instance, has recently pointed out 12 jobs being threatened by robots, while Oxford University has warned that 35% of the UK labor market is now at risk of being infiltrated by machines and automation.

Just to be clear, none of this is to say World War Robot is going to break out anytime soon (or even at all). But it does go to show that as the reality of machine intelligence moves closer, there are real concerns humanity must now address.

Addressing these concerns is not only essential to preventing a potential catastrophe (i.e. global robotic domination), but it is also the first step to ensuring that robots continue working for our benefit. We now sit at a figurative fork in the road — one path is a dystopian, robot-ruled wasteland, and the other is a utopian world of leisure and luxury.

As the Future Life Institute puts it:

There is now a broad consensus that AI research is progressing steadily, and that its impact on society is likely to increase. The potential benefits are huge, since everything that civilization has to offer is a product of human intelligence; we cannot predict what we might achieve when this intelligence is magnified by the tools AI may provide, but the eradication of disease and poverty are not unfathomable. Because of the great potential of AI, it is important to research how to reap its benefits while avoiding potential pitfalls.

Now, if you’re holding onto any doubt about our current technological prowess in relation to robotics, just consider the following image of humanoid robot Petman built by Google subsidiary Boston Dynamics:

If that doesn’t convince you that the rise of the robots is upon us, I’m not quite sure what will. But I do think it should be more than apparent that what was once science fiction is quickly becoming science fact.

Quite frankly, I find the “Stop the Robots” protests to be a bit naive, because ultimately we’ll never be able to halt technological progress. It’s not a matter of having robots or not having robots — it’s a matter of making sure they work to our benefit.

Part of this is creating a set of rules such as Asimov’s Three Laws…

• A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
• A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
• A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Another part of it is ensuring we put our money in the right places. 

There’s little doubt in my mind that robotics will bring about a great economic shift in the foreseeable future, not only in regards to employment but with corporate enterprise as well.

Just as smartphones have made Apple the largest company ever, robots are poised to do the same for emerging robotic companies on the cutting edge of this space.

Until next time,

Jason Stutman

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