Fathoming the Future of Artificially Intelligent Robots

Fathoming the Future of Artificially Intelligent Robots

Brian E. White 

Complexity Are Us ← Systems Engineering Strategies, USA

Page: 
1-15
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DOI: 
https://doi.org/10.2495/DNE-V13-N1-1-15
Received: 
N/A
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Accepted: 
N/A
| | Citation

OPEN ACCESS

Abstract: 

The world abounds with massive efforts to further develop artificial intelligence, mostly with hopes of achieving greater benefits to humankind. Not surprisingly, there is relatively little concern about the dangers associated with the, as yet hypothetical, eventual situation where robots might possess human-like capabilities of cognition, emotional experience, learning, etc. The following five propositions will be examined:

1.    Could the most advanced robots ‘evolve’ to truly human-being levels of achievement within a foreseeable time frame?

2.    Will robots ultimately take over all the jobs, including the making of robots, with relatively few human owners of robots (and most everything else) in charge?

3.    Will humans live much longer and essentially turn into pseudo-robots through receiving more replacement body parts, even involving portions of the brain?

4.    What are the possibilities of being psychologically manipulated by authoritarians using Big

Data in knowing what citizens care about and how people think?

5.    Will humans keep losing not only manual jobs but also knowledge positions with increasing robotic capabilities and the attractions of robotic replacements?

The conclusive answers: a ‘no’ to Proposition 1; a ‘maybe’ to 2; possible ‘yeses’ to 3 and 4; and a definite ‘yes’ to 5; will be explained.

This subject quite obviously overlaps some combination of at least three of our conference themes, viz., Complex Systems Engineering, Global Issues and Social Systems. The paper’s focus will be on framing the above-described topics in a matrix with two dimensions: holistic thinking perspectives (big picture, operational, functional, structural, generic, continuum, temporal, quantitative and scientific) and journalist questions (who, what, where, when, why and how). Several of the more interesting topics from this milieu will be elaborated upon to stimulate further thought, discussion, and research efforts.

Keywords: 

artificial intelligence, behaviors, complex systems, complex systems engineering, families of robots, global issues, humans, jobs, robots, social systems

1. Introduction
2. Some Thoughts Regarding the Framing Questions
3. Propositions
4. Conclusion
Acknowledgements

Beaumont Vance posed the question of Proposition 2 which stimulated the author to develop this paper. Thanks to Wayne Davis for several astute comments, and to Matthew Joordens for his interest in collaborating, and a definition of cyborg.

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