AI and Robots: Is the Future Promising or Foreboding?

The inherent purpose of technology is to make our lives easier. Humanity has been able to get things done with less physical work by transferring a large portion of labor onto machines. From the most primitive tools to the dawn of quantum computing, humankind has continued to improve technology with each coming age. For the most part, this has allowed for more highly developed civilizations and an elevated standard of living. With each phase of technological progression, though, technology’s degree of autonomy advances at an alarming rate. As artificial intelligence capabilities hit new levels of independence, it begs the question of whether or not humans have allowed machines to hit the point of no return. Will AI integrated robots truly reign supreme, rendering humanity obsolete like some futuristic dystopian novel?

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Brief History of Robotics

It can be difficult to clearly define what exactly a robot is. Most versions of the definition, though, describe a robot as some sort of device that may be programmed and/or reprogrammed. Modern day robots emerged in the 1950s, created by George Devol in Louisville, KY. His robot “Unimate” was not well-received by those he attempted to market it to. Later on, in the 1960s, Joseph Englebergrer obtained and modified Devol’s robot patent and altered it for industrial use. He was able to successfully market and sell the robots. Since then, the presence of robotics in industry has increased to the point where the lack of robotics is more  uncommon than its presence. 

AI Robots are being developed with increasing capabilities. Image courtesy of European Business Review.

Single- and Multi-tasking Robots

Most robots are single task robots. They are programmed to execute one task, and must be then taken temporarily out of service and reprogrammed if needed to perform a different task.  Extensive research into how to most efficiently assign tasks for single-task robots has been explored in depth. However, some tasks require multiple robots to work together performing their individual tasks to achieve a larger goal. Solutions to allocating tasks in multi-robot systems present a more complicated problem.

Beyond multi-robot systems are ventures in creating multitasking robots. This would involve a single robot (or multiple robots) that can perform different tasks without needing to be reprogrammed in between. Engineers in the Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering in India developed a robot that could multitask through a combination of sensors and object detection algorithms that train neural networks. This enabled a robot with multitasking abilities. A multitasking robot such as theirs would efficiently increase the amount of work a robot could perform, thus creating better return on investment for a robot owner. 

Ethics of AI and Robotics

As with all areas of science and engineering, ethics need to be considered. There is another layer, however, when it comes to robotics. Not only do the human creators need to consider ethical boundaries when creating AI, but the AI systems themselves need to operate in some sort of artificial moral boundary. This makes policies on robotics ethics that much harder to create and enforce. It also explains the lack of legislation regarding robotics and AI.

However, the European Union has produced documents indicating that AI should be made to be trustworthy in areas of “human oversight, technical robustness, privacy and data governance, transparency, fairness, well-being, and accountability”. Much of the debate has to do with what data can be collected and with what kind of access. For instance, surveillance with facial recognition. This can lead to identifying and tracking individuals without their knowledge. There are no straightforward answers when it comes to what readily available information robots should and should not be able to store and access. 

Potential Ramifications of AI

The 2014 video Humans Need Not Apply delved into this conundrum. It explores the progression of artificial intelligence and automated processes. The video is succinctly and compellingly thought-provoking with its message bringing scary implications. It hits on how easily some tasks have become automated and have replaced and and will continue to replace human labor and services. 

They point out how horses were replaced by automobiles, and how self-driving cars will replace us, not only as cab and bus drivers, but as drivers altogether. The somewhat sobering argument is made that self-driving cars do not have to be perfect–they just need to be better than humans are currently, and that in the US, that would simply have to be better than causing 40,000 motor vehicle deaths a year. 

Even those who program and create the robots in the first place will become obsolete, as computers will always be faster, more accurate, and labor longer than humans can or will. The simple fact remains that biology cannot and will not evolve at the rate and level that technology can and will. Essentially, no one is safe. 

Their musings force reflecting on where the line is drawn when it comes to artificial intelligence. Is it even possible to create a distinction between situations where AI should or should not be used? Humanity has a hard enough time coming to agreements on human-created and human-related situations. Artificial intelligence has capabilities beyond human comprehension. It would be foolish to assume that we as people even have the ability to fully control such technology, anyway. The creators of Humans Need Not Apply indicate that a robot takeover is a foregone conclusion–technology has already passed the point of no return. It is only a matter of time until we see the full effect. 

Conclusion

In an area of such rapid technological progression, like robotics, only one thing is clear. The future is unknown and the true effect that robotics and autonomous systems will have on society has yet to be fully realized. The reality of machines permanently shifting humanity’s place in society is unknown. Although, one can know with confidence that humans will continue to adapt to circumstances as they repeatedly have throughout history.