I.K.bot
Ivan Kirigin's views on Robotics & Culture: future. perfect. progress.
Monday, March 03, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Killer militant robots. Please relax
This press release featuring a professor worried about killer terrorist robots is off.
It simply isn't going to be any bigger threat than other ways of killing people today, and I'd be far more worried about a 60 year old technology in loose nukes.
In a sense, the professor is correct. Robots already pose a significant threat to humanity. The most vicious robot requires no recharge, lasts for decades, and has maimed or killed hundreds of thousands of people already: Land mines.
The fact is that there are far more reliable methods of killing people than using robots. Intelligent robots are a ways away, and the real threat here is the militant interested in killing people, and not the specific tool they use.
There is a huge bias in the media and Hollywood against AI, and I think it very much works against real progress in subtle ways. People should be more reasonable about things, and not cry Terminator! whenever a robot is used.
It simply isn't going to be any bigger threat than other ways of killing people today, and I'd be far more worried about a 60 year old technology in loose nukes.
In a sense, the professor is correct. Robots already pose a significant threat to humanity. The most vicious robot requires no recharge, lasts for decades, and has maimed or killed hundreds of thousands of people already: Land mines.
The fact is that there are far more reliable methods of killing people than using robots. Intelligent robots are a ways away, and the real threat here is the militant interested in killing people, and not the specific tool they use.
There is a huge bias in the media and Hollywood against AI, and I think it very much works against real progress in subtle ways. People should be more reasonable about things, and not cry Terminator! whenever a robot is used.