[ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE]
The biggest challenge facing AI computer programmers today is to make machines that are smarter and wiser than we are.
Although most people think artificial intelligence is something new, it is not. AI research was born with the first electronic computer in 1941, and the first experiments in robotics were begun in the late 1950s. Most people think of talking robots, sometimes referred to as androids, when they think of artificial intelligence, but different forms of AI have been in our lives for decades.
One example of AI in our world is the thermostat which controls the temperature inside our cars and buildings. A thermostat determines the temperature of the air around it, compares it to the desired temperature, then turns the heat or cooling up or down according to whichever is needed. Today we take them for granted, but creating a thinking device like this was no small task.
To date scientific research has produced many devices that can perform small thinking tasks, and we find them all around our homes. They’re in our car engines, cameras, telephones and computers.
Today the emphasis in AI research is on creating machines that can behave in ways that humans consider intelligent. Researchers are now creating systems which can imitate human thought, understand speech, and do many things thought to be science fiction not long ago. Advancements in AI are being made so fast that it is expected that in just a few years time we will have humanoid machines with the ability to teach things to us humans. Some are predicting that we’ll soon have androids capable of being our friends or even roommates. That may not be as farfetched as it sounds.
The most challenging task facing researchers has been to build machines that can imitate the human brain. It’s thought that a computer can be called intelligent if it can deceive a human into believing that it is also human.
This test was first passed in 1997 when a computer named “Big Blue” defeated world chess champion Gray Kasparov at a game of chess. The world was shocked that any machine could have the ability to beat a man at such an exercise of mental strength. But it was just the beginning.
There’s no doubt that we’ll be able to produce machines smarter than us, and the possibilities are endless. Machines will be taught to do jobs that require them to follow detailed instructions and be mentally alert! at the same time. Machines can’t get tired, so accidents caused by fatigue will never happen. Machines will also be designed for specific tasks that humans hate, but unlike humans, they won’t complain.
What worries computer scientists about AI is not that they may not be able to create the machines but that they might not able to teach them to be wise and not make the same foolish mistakes that we humans make. They must be taught to be kind, well mannered, and to behave intelligently. If we expect them to make import!ant decisions, they should be wise, not foolish like us. The question is, Will they learn man’s love of money and power and then wage war to get them, or will they be smarter than that?
■ Vocabulary
-robotics: the field of making machines that perform tasks that humans perform
-androids: human-like machines
-take them for granted: never think much about them, just expect them to be there when
we need them
-no small task: very difficult to do
-To date: until now
-devices: things that makes our lives convenient. Example: cellular phones, calculators, CD players, ATM machines, TV or VTR remote controls, etc.
-humanoid: similar to a human
-farfetched: almost impossible to believe or imagine
-fatigue: extreme tiredness. Many factory accidents are caused because workers are tired
-wage war: start wars
■ Discussion Questions
1. Do you think it’s possible that machines will someday be taught to be as smart as or even smarter than human beings? Why or why not?
2. If machines are someday made to be as smart as humans, is it possible that they could also be our friends or companions? Why or why not?
3. Would you like to have a robot as a friend or a roommate? Why or why not?
4. What would be the advantages of having an android instead of a human as a friends or roommates? Would there be arguments? Why or why not?
5. What would be the disadvantages of having an android instead of a human as a companion?
6. In which of these jobs would machines perform better than humans? In which would humans be better?
■ Teaching: Would they be good teachers?
■ Drivers: Would they have accidents?
■ Computer operators. Would they make mistakes?
■ Factory workers. Would they be injured?
■ Cashier and store clerks. Would they make mistakes?
■ Babysitters. Would the children like them?
■ Bank employees. Would they steal money?
■ Policeman: Wouldn’t they be stronger?
7. Will AI computer programmers ever be able to teach the machines to be kinder, more polite, and wiser than humans, or will the machines learn to make the same mistakes that we do? How can humans teach machines to be smarter than we are?
8. How long will it be before machines that think like humans become a reality? 10 years, 20 years, never? Tell why you think so.
9. How will human society change if machines are somebody taught to take their place in many jobs or other roles? Will we become lazy? Will machines, which never get tired of lazy or make mistakes, someday take over the control of society? Would you like to live in a world controlled by computers? Why or why not?