Will Artificial Intelligence (AI) Turn on its Creator?

@pgiblett (6524)
Canada
January 18, 2016 9:00am CST
There is widespread fear that one man creates a super intelligent computer, an artificial intelligence then that AI will turn around and wipe out mankind in building their own machine culture. Will this happen? Or is this simply a case of fear-warmongering by people who don't understand the technology? According to Elon Musk Artificial Intelligence is "potentially more dangerous than nukes". Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak asks "If we build these devices to take care of everything for us, eventually they'll think faster than us and they'll get rid of the slow humans to run companies more efficiently." Are software companies and venture capitalists courting disaster by helping to set-up such super intelligence or is it something that will always be contained inside a box? Will man still have the power to pull out the plug? What do you think MyLotters?
Is the creation of AI the greatest achievement of humankind or the opening prelude to its downfall? Some say there can only be one intelligent species on any planet and that an artificial intelligence represents the end of the road for an intelligent biolo
18 people like this
18 responses
@LadyDuck (472004)
• Switzerland
18 Jan 16
I trust Steve Wozniak, I met him many years ago, he is a genius. This reminds me a very old Sci-Fi story "And the Man Created God", it scared me and now we are creating this thing.
3 people like this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
18 Jan 16
So you would say that we should impose limits on the capability of machines?
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (472004)
• Switzerland
18 Jan 16
@pgiblett YES, we should.
2 people like this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
18 Jan 16
@LadyDuck I agree, but not everyone in the Technology profession holds such views. I believe in Asimov's three laws of robotics.
3 people like this
@TheHorse (220127)
• Walnut Creek, California
18 Jan 16
My hunch is that humans will always be smarter than the machines we create.
3 people like this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
18 Jan 16
We have one reason to stay ahead of them - our lives.
2 people like this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
22 Jan 16
@whiteream Thank you. And did you know by doing this I had a jump in readership on my Wikinut article?
2 people like this
@whiteream (8567)
• United States
22 Jan 16
@pgiblett you start a great discussion.
2 people like this
@1hopefulman (45120)
• Canada
18 Jan 16
Did you see the movie Ex Machina? We make the robots and we program them and so unless it is an accident, they will not destroy us. We don't need any help, we can do it all by ourselves, if we were allowed.
3 people like this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
18 Jan 16
Certainly it is true we have the capability of destroying ourselves.
2 people like this
@amadeo (111938)
• United States
18 Jan 16
Nice conversation that between you and @ladyduck
3 people like this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
18 Jan 16
Some people are easy to talk to.
1 person likes this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
19 Jan 16
@LadyDuck Thankfully the majority of designers are not mad scientists. I agree that something like Asimov's laws of Robotics needs to be implemented aithin any AI.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (472004)
• Switzerland
19 Jan 16
Thank you Alfredo. I believe that we have to put a limit to the Artificial Intelligence, before the AI puts a limit to our existence.
2 people like this
@shshiju (10342)
• Cochin, India
18 Jan 16
That is the topic of major science fiction movies. I think no machines is smarter than enough to human brain.
3 people like this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
18 Jan 16
Yes it has been the topic of many movies. The article that I linked to this discussion is one where I take a look at what some industry leaders think about this subject. Take a look.
1 person likes this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
19 Jan 16
@kishoreawadhesh That is the thing about fiction, it is possible to describe anything that can be imagined, fiction is not limited to the earthly plane, reality is and that is a big difference.
@shshiju (10342)
• Cochin, India
18 Jan 16
@pgiblett Ya , sure, I believe Man has the power to pull out of the plug
2 people like this
• Philippines
19 Jan 16
I think there is a possibility if the creator intends to program the A.I. system to become self-evolving, destructive, and such without a code that can force shut down the system. With the rapid advancing of technology in our time, everything is technologically possible, so why not? As a Software Engineer, I can say though that it will be very hard to pull through with such system and can take decades to program, so i'm not worried right now. Ha ha, kudos~!
2 people like this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
19 Jan 16
As a former Systems Architect I am not worried about such a scenario occurring at all. The majority of systems are simply not designed that way. Yes they will be smart enough to win the Turing prize very soon, but that is a long way from having the ability to break free and become a threat to mankind.
2 people like this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
19 Jan 16
@GopherDanny As we know Hollywood always wants to be controversial.
2 people like this
• Philippines
19 Jan 16
@pgiblett Ha ha, true. They are mere fantasies now, and puts quite a stir because of all the movies portraying the power of A.I. robots. But oh well, it might not happen even. Kudos~!
2 people like this
@suzzy3 (8341)
20 Jan 16
I think we are a long way off that predicament . I think these things are science fiction.
2 people like this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
20 Jan 16
But many of the comments and fears expressed were from technologists and innovators in that business.
@whiteream (8567)
• United States
22 Jan 16
What is science fiction today becomes science fact tomorrow.
2 people like this
@cherriefic (10399)
• Philippines
18 Jan 16
I don't think it can happen. Unless the machine can update itself. It can be like mutation. Then it could be a possibility.
1 person likes this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
18 Jan 16
Currently computers are able to test their own programming and alter their own programming, but it is firmly within the limits set by human coders.
1 person likes this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
22 Jan 16
@whiteream But this is where precisely the danger lies, computers may break those limits and where is the control to stop them?
1 person likes this
@whiteream (8567)
• United States
22 Jan 16
@pgiblett That is the thing if they could keep it under control?
1 person likes this
• Preston, England
23 Jan 16
I think they would see humans as a virus and superfluous to needs quite quickly
1 person likes this
• Preston, England
24 Jan 16
@pgiblett the danger is that an AI will be able to outsmart the safeguards or if they are also using AI. collaborate with them
1 person likes this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
24 Jan 16
@arthurchappell That is one possibility, but to my mind safeguards must be tamper proof (even from evil human hands).
1 person likes this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
24 Jan 16
That is certainly one danger and one reason I am coming to the view that there must be protections implemented.
1 person likes this
@GreatMartin (23672)
• Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
19 Jan 16
Heck I am still to busy trying to figure out people to even start thinking of AI--but watch out for that waiter robot serving you.
2 people like this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
19 Jan 16
The waiter is cool, but I would prefer a human do it.
1 person likes this
@antonbunot (11093)
• Calgary, Alberta
20 Jan 16
AI scares me!
2 people like this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
20 Jan 16
That seems to be the case with more than 50% of respondents.
1 person likes this
@whiteream (8567)
• United States
22 Jan 16
It a very interesting question. I do believe that anything is possible and if you think about this is could happen. There have been many books and movies on this subject as well.
1 person likes this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
22 Jan 16
@whiteream I agree and do favour limits.
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
22 Jan 16
Most books and movies are built on pure fantasy in the mind of the author, not a thorough understanding of technical capability.
1 person likes this
@whiteream (8567)
• United States
22 Jan 16
@pgiblett That is true but at the same time I do still think that it could happen if limits are not set for such things.
1 person likes this
@Jot2me (140)
• Adams, Tennessee
19 Jan 16
It seems almost certain that we would be viewed as a virus and destroyed by our own creations.
2 people like this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
19 Jan 16
I do not agree with that at all. I believe AI will have its place, but it will largely stay in its box so to speak. It may help us solve complex computational problems faster, but I think that is as far as it goes.
1 person likes this
@Tierkreisze (1609)
• Philippines
28 Jan 16
I don't think so. But then, when machines do everything for us, don't you think that the programmers and developers would be the most powerful people on earth? They can instruct them to do their bidding. Like, taking over the world.
1 person likes this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
28 Jan 16
The world under the mad programmer! As a former coder and knowing many others who are still in the business the majority do not think that way, but you never know...
@Pose123 (21635)
• Canada
25 Jan 16
Personally, I don't even think that such a think can happen, so I would never worry about it. Blessings.
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
25 Jan 16
Thanks for your thoughts.
@vandana7 (100546)
• India
2 Aug 17
It has already started...with Blue Whale or shark whatever...started killing people...on social network. How are you bro in law?
@OneOfMany (12150)
• United States
27 Jan 16
I think the main thing being forgotten is that machines are not people. They don't think like people. We tend to get fearful and think of war as the only option. If a computer had AI, I sincerely doubt that they would want to wipe out people. They might get annoyed that we do everything in such complicated ways, but it would be a reverse programming project in the worst case, where they try to debug our subroutines (by suggesting ways for us to improve our society) rather than wiping us out.
• Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
25 Jan 16
@PETER...i dont believe AI wiil turn against its creator...
1 person likes this
@pgiblett (6524)
• Canada
25 Jan 16
Neither do I