BY: Thahal May
Recently a computer scientist by the name of Ben Taskar has decided to tackle one of the biggest problems in artificial intelligence. The problem that Ben Taskar and the rest of his research team are working towards solving is the question of "How to make computers learn faster than children?". In the article "Computer Learns to Think Like a Child" Greg Johnson-Penn explains that a toddler learns what a car is by someone pointing to an automobile and saying "car" several times. However, computers learn what a car is by a person inputting thousands of images of different cars. At first glance it is difficult to believe that a toddler is more intelligent than a computer, however Greg's example helps to put into perspective how complex it is to program learning into a computer.
The implications of successfully creating an algorithm that learns like a toddler will be groundbreaking. This technology would enable us to solve problems facing our society at an unprecedented rate. If Prof. Taskar accomplishes his goal creating an algorithm that allows computers to learn, artificial intelligence will improve exponentially. As a result this new technology issues that face our society such as incurable diseases, world hunger, failing economies, etc. could possibly be solved by computers all over the world constantly looking for ways in which these various issue can be solved. However, although the implications of self-learning computers has the potential to be a great asset it could also be a great detriment.
Prof. Stephen Hawking agrees that the potential for artificial intelligence to improve humanity is valid. However, he fears the consequences of creating something that can match or even surpass humans. Prof. Hawkings believes that if we ever were to successfully create a computer that could think on its own it would eventually take off on its own and redesign its self at an increasing rate. Although this might sound like something like out of a cheesy science fiction movie the reality of us ever reaching this point is very real. Artificial intelligence can already be seen all around us today from Google predicting our searches, to ads on the internet tailored to our viewing habits, all the way down to our cellphones predicting the words we'll use next. The question that I would like to pose is "Would artificial intelligence of this caliber be more of a detriment to society than an advantage?"
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This is a great post and is intellectually stimulating. I agree with this post and its latter position. I believe that if we empower technology to think like a human then we will have issues that can possibly threaten humanity. If a robot can think like humans then it can learn to become independent like humans. Who will be the master? Who will be the servant? I do not agree with investing into technologies that can surpass our own intellectual capacity.
ReplyDeleteI believe that if a computer learns information as fast as a child it will be a disadvantage because it will not know how to handle good and bad information. What I mean by this, is that when computers learn new information it will just store information in its database and guess when to use that information. When humans learn new information, we know whether the information is good or bad because of our nature and we can either disregard the new learned information or adapt it. I do not believe a computer will ever be able to fully process information the exact same way as human brains can. A computer can be taught how to operate by a person that has harmless intentions not to do wrong, but it can also be taught by a person with harmful intentions.
ReplyDeleteThis is a really good question. Computers have always been used to eliminate human error, meaning a basic premise of programming and computer technology is to ensure perfect "intelligence." Since then we have seen dangers like Weapons of Mass Destruction, internet fraud, security breaches, and much more. Humans really control all the input data and computers will need human interaction to operate. I say all of this because artificial intelligence could be revolutionary IF USED RESPONSIBLY. I believe human learning computers could move humans into space, protect the earth, improve human behavior, and much more. Great article!
ReplyDeleteThis article was very interesting. Artificial intelligence would be a giant leap for man kind, solving many challenges today's society faces. On the other hand, many new problems will be created in the process. Computers unlike humans do not have souls, meaning they have no sense of ethics to base their decisions off of. I believe artificial intelligence in the wrong hands could possibly cause great damage to society.
ReplyDeleteThis article was very interesting. Artificial intelligence would be a giant leap for man kind, solving many challenges today's society faces. On the other hand, many new problems will be created in the process. Computers unlike humans do not have souls, meaning they have no sense of ethics to base their decisions off of. I believe artificial intelligence in the wrong hands could possibly cause great damage to society.
ReplyDeleteHumans reliance on technology has become somewhat scary. instead of computing things on paper we now have calculators that can fid out the rate of return on an investment. Instead of using a map we all have navigation on our phones. Artificial intelligence is great and will solve many problems but when does it begin to have a negative effect on mankind. As technology gets smarter will we become dumber? Food for thought
ReplyDeleteI agree with this post and the latter position. I believe that if we improve technology to the point that it may think like a human then we will have a issue that could possibly threaten humanity. If a robot can think like humans then it can learn to become independent like humans, or even make decisions similar to humans. The other problem I see in allowing them to make independent decisions, is the morality figure that humans can do but technology wouldn't necessarily be able to simulate.
ReplyDeleteWow! The idea of "Artificial Intelligence" a computer having a mind of its own is scary. Computer play a vital part in the human world, but we must draw the line somewhere. We as human rely on computer enough as is. Many people see the advancement of computer as an opportunity but indeed it is a threat to the human. Human race. Overall human intelligence will be down. Human no longer go to library in research information through books they go to Google for everything. We as human must continue to expand our mind through old school traditions such as actually reading writing and doing math. Computers should serve as an asset to our knowledge.
ReplyDeleteI find this article particularly interesting. I agree with the post I acknowledge that if we improve advancement to the point that it may have a comparative standpoint as a human then we will have an issue that could conceivably weaken humanity. If a robot can think like individuals then it can make sense of how to end up self-governing like individuals, or even settle on decisions like individuals.
ReplyDeleteThis article was especially captivating. Fake awareness would be a goliath hop for humankind, handling various challenges today's overall population faces. On the other hand, various new issues will be made all the while. PCs unlike individuals don't have feelings, criticalness they have no inclination of ethics to base their decisions off of. I acknowledge fake cognizance in the wrong hands could conceivably cause mind boggling mischief to society.
ReplyDeleteThis article is especially interesting. The thought that a computer may be able to meet or surpass human abilities causes some worry. If a computer is able to learn on its own, would it then be able to decipher right from wrong? There are some aspects of humans such as morals and ethics which I do not believe a computer may be able to duplicate from humans. This could lead to world created to be ruled by men being ruled by computers and men listening to what computers say do rather than using their own knowledge and judgment.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting article. I agree with Justin's comment on humans rapid growing reliance on technology is very scary. Continuing at this rate, how long will it take until humans become fully reliant on technology? What will the world be like then?
ReplyDeleteI feel that artificial intelligence would be very useful to our society today as far as solving problems and finding cures. But I also agree with Prof. Stephen Hawkins that it can also be detrimental to us as a society if computers had the ability to take over. This article reminds me of a movie i saw called "Eagle Eye." But if there is a way we can give computers artificial intelligence and at the same time control how far it goes then i definetely would support it.
ReplyDeleteGreat article, Thahal! It is very interesting to see how some of these Sci-Fi fantasies are actually being contextualized today and in the near future. If not careful, humans can create something we are not able to keep up with. Something else to consider as technology keeps developing at an unparalleled rate is quantum computing.
ReplyDeleteThahal, you mentioned Prof. Hawking's comments that a computer could take over its own processes and redesign itself at an increasing rate. With the introduction of quantum computing, harnessing the power of atoms in our computing processing is now within our scope of thinking and is very possible in the coming decades 2020-2030. These atomic (quantum) computers' potential for speed to calculate certain data compared to traditional silicon computers is unbelieveable.
Just imagine if artificial intelligence and quantum computing were paired in this way. We must ask ourselves, are we getting in over our heads?
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/quantum-computer.htm
I really like what James said in his comment about technology surpassing human intelligence . Developing too much into technology could really threaten humans. We must know when to stop and draw the line . I love the idea of using technology but I am not fund of technology one day using me . We as developers must learn where to draw the line .
ReplyDeleteI feel that teaching children how to learn is more difficult than programming a computer. With this being said, I found this article very interesting since it was considering to program computers how we teach children. Children's learning is dependent on their genetics, upbringing, and background. I feel like learning of children is more difficult to measure and duplicate than programming a computer.
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ReplyDeleteI feel that teaching children how to learn is more difficult than programming a computer. With this being said, I found this article very interesting since it was considering to program computers how we teach children. Children's learning is dependent on their genetics, upbringing, and background. I feel like learning of children is more difficult to measure and duplicate than programming a computer.
ReplyDeleteThis article is very interesting and makes you open your mind to really critical think. My opinion is that a computer might pass up the abilities that humans have. This will eventually change the game and bring a new outlook on life. Computers will lack the skills that humans have in there beliefs and morals. For example the movie IRobot, what if technology and computers were able to build a world like that?
ReplyDeleteThis idea is both exciting and scary to me. I think it can have one of two effects, it can revolutionize our reasoning ability if we are able to depend on computer generated ideas which will be based on solid, logical, learned skills. At this point, our technology is smart, but not intelligent. It can help us sole with data. I say this in the sense that it can help us organize, disseminate and access limitless amounts of information. At this point though, it does not have the ability to reason, to make sense of all that data, and make it into something useful to others to use. When you give this power to computers, since they make less errors it can definitely make our lives easier in that regard. Nonetheless we must be weary of the natural course of evolution. At that point, the average computer would be the equivalent to the best human. History dictates that when that happens the species slowly but surely dies off or looses its spot in the hierarchy of the world/food chain. How do we monitor this new AI that allows computers to learn as fast as a child does? I feel it will be great for the world, but only if we can somehow add a moral compass to the design of these computers.
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