Thursday, July 30, 2009

The Rise of the Machines

Message to Sean: Be afraid, be very afraid.

Scientists Worry Machines May Outsmart Man


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4 comments:

James R said...

How do I get the pictured machine? Is that a picture from your back yard?

I always find the "Rise of the Machines" fear another example of misplaced fears, re: terrorists vs automobiles. We already have a machine that can easily wipe out all humanity. What more damage could future machines do?

Actually, the Hal scenario is great for movies and books, but the "Brazil" scenario is a lot more scarier. To its credit the article does sneak in a reasonable quote by the CMU prof, "be outspoken about the vast amounts of data collected about our personal lives."

Sean Harvey said...

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1917896

Sorry I haven't been on lately, summer school is eating up my time faster than a fat kid with chocolate. Mark my words though, if we keep making computers smarter and more powerful they will soon realize that while humans age, the computers will outlast us all.

Peter H of Lebo said...

Don't worry too much, human death is characterized as a genetic disease which has a high likelihood of being cured, so I doubt computers will outlast us. It is more likely the humans and computers will hybridize as we overcome bio-silicon barrier. In fact, it is already occurring, implantation controlling electrical impulses in the brains of epileptic patients, pacemakers, chips placed in blind paitents' brain restoring limited sight, artificial hips, knees etc. Human/trans-human intelligence will equal or exceed that of any computer as we further augment the brain.

Big Myk said...

Jim asks, Is that a picture from your back yard?

The fact is, the machine is really huge. The picture was taken using a Tilt Shift Lens, making it look miniature. See Pete's Faking Perspective, above.