A few things to worry about this Sunday morning.1. Scientists Worry Machines May Outsmart Man: That's right, we could soon have "A robot that can open doors and find electrical outlets to recharge itself?" (Can we say "Terminator?") Or how about "Computer viruses that no one can stop?" (Wait, don't we kinda have those now? lol) Or how about "Predator drones, which, though still controlled remotely by humans, come close to a machine that can kill autonomously?" (and plug itself in when it runs out of power, of course) Does any of this give you a warm and fuzzy feeling?
2. Artificial brain in 10 years, apocalypse soon after?: That's right, "Henry Markram, director of the Blue Brain Project, revealed that he and his team in Switzerland are aiming to build a functioning, artificial human brain within the next 10 years." No joke, apparently. Nor is the following, apparently.
Markram thinks that in 10 years, they'll either have an artificial human brain that has consciousness or they'll know that consciousness is more than just a neurological pattern. If they do succeed, Markram says they'll bring the brain to TED to speak.I dunno, call me a pessimist, but I'm thinking James Cameron right about now.
In this speech the brain will reveal its plans to take over the world's computer-controlled weapons and enslave humanity. An audience member will smugly ask when the brain was planning to do this. To which it will reply, "Do it? I did it 35 minutes ago."
OK, I made up that last paragraph, but tell me we're not clearly headed down that path now. Scientists can talk all they want about this helping them cure diseases and whatnot, but they're probably most excited about creating a fully functioning self-aware A.I.
Let's just hope the our robot-laden future is more Isaac Asimov and less James Cameron.
3. Researchers May Have Found Equivalent of Embryonic Stem Cells: Last but not least, we have the prospect of "techniques [that] might make cloning and genetic engineering of embryos easier." On the positive side, "Many scientists believe human embryonic stem cell research could revolutionize medicine by enabling doctors to use genetically matched tissue to treat many diseases." On the negative side, however, "the techniques could one day be used essentially to steal someone's DNA to make a baby." That's right, according to stem cell researcher Robert Lanza, "With just a little piece of your skin, or some blood from the hospital, anyone could have your child -- even an ex-girlfriend or neighbor."
Bringing it back to politics, would artificial brains be Republican, Democratic, Green, Libertarian, or what? Would politicians with artificial brains make better decisions than ones with natural brains? And while we're at it, can we give these politicians artificial backbones that hold up to pressure from lobbyists and powerful corporate interests? If that fails, could we unplug them or would they sic one of those "predator drones" on us? Yeah, blogging about Virginia politics in 2030 or so could be quite interesting. :)
