The Human Race... or the Humanoid Race?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is something that once appeared to be a futuristic phenomenon but is now quickly integrating itself into the everyday lives of humans. Current examples of AI put into common use include Nest and Alexa. These products embody the true meaning of AI by utilizing their “brains” to learn and make decisions based on the consumer’s preferences. But what is the future of AI? What will happen once these “brains” take more physical forms and interact with humans on a daily basis? Will our exploration end in a human versus robot war or can laws and cooperation prevent snags in the seemingly smooth journey?

Any hotly debated issue will have both benefits and drawbacks. As UC Berkeley professor Pieter Abbeel explained in a Business Insider article, AI will able to aid greatly with safety for humans and hopefully create a solid bolster for accident prevention. After all, the saying “I’m only human” was coined for a reason – no human is perfect, and every human has made mistakes in his or her life. On the other hand, robots can be programmed without flaw, and in this sense, millions of deaths can be prevented with driverless cars and rectifying other forms of transportation. One qualm consistently brought up is that with the millions of lives saved also comes millions of jobs eliminated. This is indeed a complication that may worm its way into a variety of careers. Factory workers, transportation workers, retail workers, and more may find themselves out of work in the near future.

Here is where the human mind returns to the picture. It is up to the people and their governments to dictate when and where AI can be used. We will soon see that law is one of the most significant factors in AI implementation. The future of humans may seem grim as robots begin to appear in every aspect of our lives and we fear the thought of a robot supremacy. The movies or works of fiction that depict robots taking over the world or manipulating human beings are simply that – figments of our imaginations that have not yet become reality. We have no reason to worry about such a future when we can focus on prevention in the present. With the establishment of critical laws that restrict and regulate AI usage, such a future of robots as the reigning authority will no longer be a prospective situation with cause for concern.

By: Varsha Vaidyanath

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/researchers-predictions-future-artificial-intelligence-2015-10

Pictures: http://techmantr.in/artificial-intelligence/
https://nest.com/support/article/Tour-of-the-Nest-Learning-Thermostat-temperature-screen

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