Robotic politics...

I recently ran across this article about A.I. composing political speeches, and immediately thought about Chris's short story...

I, Robot Audio Book

If you are like me, then sitting down and reading any kind of novel sounds like absolute torture. Here is a link to I, Robot audio book. It is beautifully read and narrated with voice and stuff. I always find that I become more productive when I listen to these audio books during my day to day routines, runs, chores, math homework..etc. It is only eight hours long and really fun. Enjoy

Here is another good video of Pepper the emotional robot. Just see how articulate she is...YAY!!

Developers Make Progress On Self Learning Code

http://www.wired.com/2016/01/in-a-huge-breakthrough-googles-ai-beats-a-top-player-at-the-game-of-go/


This article published a few days ago talks about the game of Go and how google developers in Britain have developed code and then ran the code against itself to self learn.  We talked about in class how we have figured out checkers, but not chess because it's too complicated and the game of Go is more complicated than chess.  They believe the system used for learning can apply to almost anything and in 2014 thought it would take almost 10 years to get it to work.  I think this is a large breakthrough for AI and it makes me wonder if we are finally evolving code quicker than expected.    

How do YOU *really* feel about A.I.?

Evan asked about this on the Q&A, and I wanted to re-post it here since people might miss seeing it on the Q&A.

http://lovelace.augustana.edu/q2a/index.php/1582/what-are-your-actual-feelings-about-ai

It's an excellent question.  Naturally, you don't have to answer... but it could be interesting to discuss.

You can either talk about it on the Q&A post, or (in case you fear being voted up/down on Lovelace), you can discuss it in the comments section of this blog post here...

NXT Maze Solver that Remembers the Path Back to the Start

I found this video helpful when working on my final project. Check it out

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apQhBppWDLw

The blog is informative too....https://decibel.ni.com/content/blogs/ILabVIEW/2012/04/22/nxt-maze-solver-that-remembers-the-shortest-path#comment-47189

Evolving Mario's Brain?

For another application of BOTH genetic algorithms AND artificial neural networks (much like my swarm robotics project), check out this awesome video about evolving a brain to play Super Mario.

It should also help reinforce the idea about how artificial neural networks work, which I explained briefly during class...

Robots Taking Our Jobs

Photo Source

In this article by Ivana Kottasova, she talks about the likelihood of A.I. and robots taking the job market from humans.  The robots that we currently have perform mostly manual labor, but experts say as A.I. advances the more skilled jobs will start to disappear as well.  She says that a study done by Bank of America stated robots are likely to be performing 45% of manufacturing tasks by 2025 compared to the 10% performed today.  In this study they also looked at the falling prices of computers and robots over the past decade and how they will continue to get cheaper over the next decade, and this is one of the main reasons the artificial work force so appealing to employers.  Another study done by Oxford University stated that nearly half of all U.S. jobs will be at high risk of being taken over by computers and an additional 20% of the jobs facing medium risk.

Ivana also said another reason why our jobs are becoming more at risk of being taken over by computers is because of the current advances in voice and facial recognition, machine learning, and simply because they are getting easier to use.  According to experts, economic inequality will only increase as more jobs are taken by robots.  This is not the first time that technology is causing a change in the global economy, just look at the industrial revolution for example, but this time it is much different.  Workers will have the choice to take jobs that they are overqualified for or simply stay unemployed.  Ivana also wrote another article in late 2015 in which she talked with the chief economist of the Bank of England Andy Haldane, and he said "These machines are different.  Unlike in the past, they have the potential to substitute for human brains as well as hands."

Our last debate in class was about whether or not the development of advanced A.I. would be beneficial for humans or not, and these articles only help to provide evidence that it would not help us.  When the A.I. that we create becomes more intelligent than we are, who knows how the A.I. will act.  We can try to put safeguards in place to make sure we are always the most advanced creatures on the planet, but as we try to evolve programs with genetic algorithms who knows what will remain and what will be taken out.  I personally think that advanced A.I. most likely will cause the collapse of our economy and possibly human kind.  Once the job market is taken by computers and the economic gap is widened even further, the majority of the population will become poor and out of work.  Once that happens I'm not entirely sure what will happen to society.  We are trying to create robots to help us complete tasks and make our lives easier, but what happens when we create the A.I. that can do every task that we can do also?  At that point what need is there for humanity?