Can Robots with Artificial Intelligence be a Threat to Human Existence?

The term “Robot” was popularized by Czech writer Karel Čapek through his play Rossum’s Universal Robots (R.U.R.) in which robots – principally humans with synthetic bodies – who are first deployed to manufacture low-cost goods, end up wiping the human race. Science fiction and Hollywood have endured the idea of robots trickling out of control to cause havoc onto the human race through franchises such as the Terminator and Transformers. Subsequently, hyperboles about these fears related to robots taking over the world have affected the approach towards the development of Artificially Intelligent robots, inciting severe criticism and extensive discussion in forerunner countries.

A scene from Karel Čapek's play Rossum’s Universal Robots (R.U.R.) captured by BBC

Following three years of unofficial small talk, the representatives from various countries participating in the UN Disarmament Conference will today (16^th December 2016) be deciding whether serious talks about imposing a ban on autonomous lethal weaponry hold any ground or not. Autonomous Weapons are predominantly robots deployed in a war with the capacity of deciding its friends from foes.  Toby Walsh of the University of New South Wales in Australia is the committed mind behind the idea as he pursues the ban on autonomous killing machines besides weapons in biological and chemical warfare at the conference, anticipating the “terrible and terrifying” prospect of intelligent killers taking over.

Unmanned US Air Force Spy Plane

Influencers such as Steven Hawkins believe that the evolution of technology into self-aware beings will spell perils on the human race. Hawkins, almost totally paralyzed due to his motor neuron syndrome, communicates using a computer himself and says that artificially intelligent machines have proved to be surprisingly useful with their present caliber and future advances can be treacherous.

Artificial Intelligent has been a magnet of controversies, lately. Man-made machines with intellectual capabilities of humans can be seen as a near resurgence of the thought process we follow. Robots, like any computer, can process any fed information and perform desired actions as per their programmed algorithms. A thinking robot will be able to prioritize actions, develop an ability to learn any skill and even develop own thoughts.

Transformers antagonist Megatron

As the society transgresses the art of communication, robots like Kismet from MIT’s Artificial Intelligence Labs are learning how to make engaging conversations. It also recognizes body language in humans and responds to facial expressions with its own. But building an AI to work seamlessly critically depends on understanding human intelligence and how the brain functions tasks related to reasoning, more than aptitude.

Director of Microsoft Research in Cambridge, Chris Bishop doesn’t, however, subscribe to the same idea as Steven Hawkins and Toby Walsh. Mostly because, the Artificial Intelligent studies are mostly theoretical in nature, and the machines highly premature. Powerful yet premature.

A machine with human-like intelligence is far from realization, save those built by alien intervention. These machines, although potentially powerful, aren’t capable of bringing a terminator-style havoc (yet). The most dangerous aspects of their development could, however, be that these machines pick up biases in the process of learning – like the advanced robot, Sofia, who erringly confessed to her desire of killing humans.

While, Robot are excelling as factory workers, becoming useful aides and even sufficing fetishes, they are not likely to take over the world, as Micheal Bay wants you to believe it. Not at least in 2017! While a lot of us will fail our New Year’s Resolutions, robots with artificial intelligence will be diligently learning – preparing to take over humans, but in a longer run. New age Autonomous weapons are still controlled by humans. We can clearly say that humans are currently nastier than robots.