The Robot Under Your Bed

Why is everyone so scared that artificial intelligence will take over the world? We’re the ones creating it, after all, so then we shouldn’t have to worry about AI world domination…right?

We’re far off from developing machines with common sense and free will, yet an increasing number of scientists believes we will create computers more intelligent than humans. (Newsflash: we already have.) Hundreds of engineers and scientists have signed an open letter (you can sign too, if you so do choose) written by the Future of Life Institute expressing concern that artificial intelligence may lead to the end of mankind, calling it the “biggest existential threat there is”.

But is artificial intelligence a credible threat?

With Donald Trump entering office next month, global warming remaining unaddressed, and turmoil ensuing in multiple nations around the globe, should we really be calling these nonexistent robots an “existential threat”? Historically, human actions tend to have unpredictable consequences; after all, it’s impossible to imagine each outcome our choices have on the future. But this AI problem seems like something we can manage. We’re asking such detailed questions so far in advance; currently, the technology we’re discussing does not even exist, and most likely won’t for the remainder of the century.

The largest threat AI can have over us is who is in control of it. If artificial intelligence lies in the hands of the wealthy and higher ups, then there is a need for concern, as it could be used for individualized nefarious purposes. It seems the AI argument boils down to three types of consequences:

1. Unintended: developers engineer AI that can either be hacked, or can modify itself internally to the point where it is able to evolve on it’s own
2. Unintelligible: we create machinery that we don’t understand, and it begins to design itself, sort of Frankenstein’s monster-esque
3. Intended, but awful: the most likely in my opinion, this would be AI created by large corporations or wealthy individuals to fulfill needs for the few instead of the many

For now, the AI-doomsday argument is a bit premature. But it is important to decide why we’re building this technology, as well as what purpose it will serve, before we proceed with development.

“Artificial Intelligence is not a Man versus Machine saga; it’s in fact, Man with Machine synergy.”   -Sudipto Ghosh

Possible Interstellar Travel?

A few days ago at noon, Stephen Hawking, along with Russian entrepreneur Yuri Milner and Mark Zuckerberg, announced Breakthrough Starshot–a plan to leave the solar system and visit our neighbor, Alpha Centauri. Even though its 24,800,000,000,000 miles away, or, 4.22 light-years away, Starshot has a plan to utilize currently existing or nearly existing technology to start their mission. We’ll be “one world, reaching out to the galaxy”, as Milner eloquently puts it.

So…what has changed that makes interstellar travel achievable?

First off, they have a clear set of expectations. This mission is not about space travel, but about exploring interstellar space and sending photos back to earth. In a few decades, hundreds of “space sails” the size of potato chips will be launched into space, moving at about 1/5 the speed of light. In just 20 years (instead of the 30,000 years it would take with today’s spacecrafts), the probes will hopefully arrive at Alpha Centauri.

What Does this Mean for Science?

We haven’t seen a star or supernova from interstellar space–were always looking through the lens of our own solar system. Starshot isn’t a new idea, either; it was previously proposed by Bill Nye, although there wasn’t enough funding or materials to lift the idea off the ground.

If the trio succeeds, the activity may convince other billionaires to invest in similar space missions, though it’s too hard to predict the outcome of this test for now. If Starshot works, similar probes can be sent to Mars in a matter of hours, or to Pluto in a few days, at the cost of only a few thousand dollars.

By the end of this operation, Mark Zuckerberg will be 85 years old. These men, along with a collection of scientists and specialists, could create a stepping stone for future probes that may one day carry seeds, algae, bacteria, or even DNA to far away areas of the galaxy.

One thing is for sure, no, it will not look like the blockbuster film, Interstellar. If anything, it might be much cooler than that, because it’ll be real, and we’ll experience it in our lifetimes.

Further reading on the structure of the probes here, via Scientific American