Regulating AI? Artificial intelligence with human consciousness will emerge in the next 20 years
Smith and Schum have written a book - Future Computing - detailing predictions about the future of artificial intelligence.
They are said to be working on developing artificial intelligence software that can simulate the ability of human minds.
They point out that this is a technological breakthrough that some fear means the beginning of the end for humanity, which will occur in the next 20 years. At the same time, they warn that control of robot "friends" should be implemented to prevent intelligent robots from harming society and people's interests.
Smith and Schum have written a book - Future Computing - detailing predictions about the future of artificial intelligence. They believe that as AI robots become more sophisticated, it will become more integrated into the daily lives of humans.
Future Computing predicts that a future version of Microsoft's Cortana could automatically notify people of their schedules while they sleep, facilitating their planning for the next day. Robots like this are omniscient and can even think like humans.
I think it's hard to predict the future, but one thing Smith and I firmly believe is that the ultimate form of AI is a digital assistant that really knows you, with your permission, and knows anything about you," says Schum. We call it a robotic 'close friend (alter ego)', a real second human self."
This technology has unfathomable implications that could be problematic if left unaddressed. Part of the control of our lives is given to machines, robots have human like minds and without reasonable control there will be abuse or misuse of power.
Microsoft says that government and academic groups would be in the best position to address these thorny ethical issues. Smith emphasized that people in the tech industry are very concerned about the ethics of AI and the interaction between academia and universities, but that it requires a kind of human dialogue that is brought in from society. We can demonstrate that tech companies will be more aware of technological developments, but that doesn't mean that tech companies will know how AI can be better responsible for society and bring certain benefits.
In the field of science and technology, some senior figures are very concerned about the future development of artificial intelligence. In November 2017, Elon Musk noted in a talk that there is only a 5-10% chance of making AI safe.
This latest warning comes after Musk is said to have claimed that regulation of AI is necessary because it is a fundamental risk to the existence of human civilization. The billionaire said that appropriate regulations would prevent humans from being defeated by computer systems or "deep intelligence in networks" that can wage war by manipulating information.
In July 2017, Musk said the government must better understand the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence technology to fully appreciate the risks involved. Once AI devices have human consciousness, humans will become very fearful. By then we will be under the control of AI devices and will appear very passive, and by then it will be too late.
When pressed for more specific guidance, Musk said the first step is for the government to better understand the rapid progress being made in developing AI technology. He has previously likened AI to "summoning the devil".