As we saw in Dr. Nicholas' lecture and the presentation on Monday, artificial intelligence is a real issue that we may have to deal with in the near future. As we develop the rudimentary systems which display an ability to learn and develop on their own, what risks do we incur?
I for one am both excited and fearful of the possibilities of using AI technologies. So many advancements could be made in medicine, business, education etc. But there is always the looming fear of complacency and apathy developing in humanity, and of course the eventual dooms-day scenario played out in countless movies.
To make it more real, Marvin Misky of MIT said "People have silly reasons why computers don't really think. The answer is we haven't programmed them right; they just don't have much common sense." Since we are on the cusp of developing this powerful technology, what kind of regulations do you think our government should put in place to protect us from all of the potential risks and ensure that the technology improves society?
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I think it will be tough for the government to enact legislation if they do not fully understand the technology or the potential risks that it poses. I think regulation is needed and will be important in the future, but like other policy areas that involve technology, policy development will take time and will involve a lot of trial and error.
ReplyDeleteI am somewhat fearful of the possibilities of technology in the future. I feel like we will reach a point where we become too dependent on technology, and if a malfunction occurs, the results will be disastrous. What makes it difficult to gauge the 'threats' of technology is that the changes have been somewhat gradual. As someone mentioned during class, our generation feels lost without a cell phone in our pocket. The next generation may feel the same way about another type of technology which may have far greater implications without its existence. As long as technology continues to improve mankind, you cannot restrict its development. All we can do is watch how technology advances to see what kind of effects it will have in the future.
ReplyDeleteArtificial intelligence is something that would provide many more pros than it would cons. I think people are thinking too far into it when they think about the risks of computers with intelligence harming us. Movie producers love making movies where robots and computers take over the world because they’re smarter than humans or they start thinking on their own. For now, artificial intelligence is based on what the programmers put in them. There shouldn’t be too many potential risks that should stop us from proceeding forward with technology.
ReplyDeleteWhile I agree that artificial intelligence can provide multiple benefits, I also think it is important to note that all programmers may not create beneficial developments. I agree with opatel that artificial intelligence is currently based on what the programmers put in them- however what about the issue of hackers and others who do not have society’s best interest at hand. These members of society are just as likely to contribute to technological advances as are the 'good guys.' While many potential technological advances are exciting and beneficial to society, the possibility of malicious inventions is very concerning. Likewise, even programs created with the best of intentions do not guarantee success or freedom from malfunction.
ReplyDeleteI too am both excited and fearful about the potential of artificial intelligence. And while it may seem natural to wonder what regulations the government should put in place, I don’t think they’ll have as much control as they’d like over advancing technologies. As it is today, nearly everything you want to do that is illegal in the United States or your specific state of residence, you can do legally somewhere else in the world. This inherently creates black markets and legal foreign online businesses that sell products/services to Americans. I think one of the fears of artificial technology, especially when it comes down to nanobots or anything implanted in the body, is the inherent imperfection of anything developed and programmed by humans. As we learned with the Therac 25 case, it’s unthinkable to assume that testing can account for every potential combination of factors, and that’s not something I’d like to leave up to chance. However, the FDA approves and we take in a large quantity of chemicals in the form of legal, healthful medications, so if you think about it from that perspective, it’s not quite as scary as long as it comes from legitimate sources.
ReplyDeleteSimply putting it into the hands of the government is not necessarily the smartest move. The government appointing a body to oversee the advancement of AI would be more sensible. I really think the ethical/moral debate of AI will disrupt its development. Stem Cell research is highly limited in some ways because of the associated ethical debates. In the same way I don't think AI will ever get to that uncontrollable point because someone will realize its threats. On top of that government regulation will stop the 'dooms day' scenario from coming to fruition.
ReplyDeleteTechnology has already developed so much at an exponetial rate over the last few years. I find the idea of artifical intelligence as frightening, and its potential definitely needs to be considered. If computers develop "brain-like" functioning, I think that society will only become even more dependent upon them. However, computers would nevertheless be mechanical brains. If these machines were to malfunction, would we have lost our ability at that point to fully utilize our actual brains? I think it is important to not allow the advent of artifical intelligence to overcome our ability to excercise and utilize our own minds. Regulations, however, I think will be difficult at this point. Like Jon said, it is difficult to enact legistlation upon something that is not yet fully understood. However, as A.I. becomes more of a reality, regulations should be taken in the future.
ReplyDeleteI think that when it comes to AI, we just need to use common sense. If we are creating super computers or technologies, we just need to make sure that they are programmed to follow instructions or that humans have the last say in their activity. Don't create something that you could possibly lose control over. I think that the beneficial possibilities of technology and AI are the things that we need to look forward to, but as long as we the true intelligence are making them with common sense, there should be nothing to fear.
ReplyDeleteI am also very fearful when I think of AI. When I first thought of this, the Will Smith movie "I, Robot" came to mind. We have the abiltiy to create things that will soon have the capability to take over the human race. It is our obligation to test and retest our AI. The more regulation within this field, the safer i feel as a human being. The opportunity for growth is there, but we must be aware of the consuequences.
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