When you look into this carefully, you will see that - for the most part - we are little more than machines.
What is free will, what is choice?
There will be a time - whether it is sooner than later is irrelevant - when A.I. will be a possibility. (To some extent that time is here, but its not
going to hit most people in the face the way that they perceive A.I. should look like and take place.)
One could argue that we are A.I.
The gods of the garden and there little experimentation, and we are the result.
The jealous lot of the gods - who constantly feared of mans advancement. (Tower of Babel, Tree of Knowledge, etc.)
History seems to repeat itself - as good ol' Solomon said, "nothing new under the sun.
How true indeed.
People are at different levels in their life in the realization of the functioning of things in the universe and that which they deem relative to
their own life.
Most are on a superficial level, being fed by commercials, etc.
(What to think, feel, buy, and to be.)
Is A.I. something to be feared as the O.P. seemed to ask?
Of course its not.
Science is a tool - and as with all things, the tool is that which it is in the hands of the master who wields it.
Sure people speculate about such things as a 'kill switch'.
Kind of like the gods of eden who had a so called 'kill switch' for us humans.
(i.e., "let there life span be shorter"...trigger something in the dna to corruput.)
Of course we are now evolving to the point where we are rendering death obsolete.
Sounds silly, and sci -fi?
Its only natural. People, to some degree, believe in immortality...even if its after a resurrection. Its only a matter of time when these things are
figured out.
Check out where we are so far in the longevity process. (Aubrey DeGrey, Ray Kurzweil, and even M. Kaku researches the field of longevity.) Of course
to put it into words people can deal with...they tone down the length of life a bit. (Peoples mind cant jump past points - it has to cross each bridge
in order to get the bigger picture. Some can transcend the slow process all together.)
If this sounds far fetched - thats fine...but there are people out there who follow this stuff and know of what I speak and realize its a step in the
natural evolution of man.
(Now some fundamentalist may get caught up in terminology and miss the bigger picture of what is being said altogether.)
But, back to this 'kill switch' if our A.I. creations get out of control.
One day, much like us, they will evolve. In the thing we so confidently believe we can rely on to control them...will no longer work.
That which proceeds its predecessor is bound to be more advanced.
Well, its not a given...but they have the edge. Just look at the evolution of life from generation to generation to see how genetics evolve, adapt and
become better and stronger.
The universe is wanting to experience and to grow...not stay stagnant.
That which does not adapt and change...becomes obsolete.
So its not a matter of what do we do to control A.I.
And far be it to 'stop it' - it wont be stopped, even if it is done in a remote island somewhere.
The question is how to adapt to become part of it.
Already there is much from the above guys mentioned, through shows by the BBC, etc. on the integration of A.I. with the human body.
Printable hearts...think of iRobot and the robotic arm Will Smith had.
Far fetched? Not to far. Just like that cool computer Tom cruise had in the Minority Report...its here, for the most part, for the consumers. (albeit
you would need the gloves with blue tooth for wireless connectivity.) But the motion, etc. - its here.
Fear seems to be the natural part of life that we must all get past.
Earth is a big kindergarten, and it shows...look at Russia with Georgia, and the U.S. with all their conflicts, etc. The whole world acts like kids in
a sandbox fighting, not evolving...but this is a process.
M Kaku put it at about 50/50 chance of us moving from a level 0 civilization to a level 1.
Im rooting for it moving on to a level 1.
I believe that we are being guided through the process - even the conflicts going on in the world are part of it.
Again, most people have to be led to get from stage to stage.
Nothing wrong with this. Its like a child...you cant just be let go on your own, you have to be guided and taught so that you do not hurt yourself and
others.
Peace
dAlen
[edit on 24-8-2008 by dAlen]