Not long ago, I posted an essay about artificial intelligence. In it, I mentioned a new and controversial book recently released by documentary maker James Barrat, called “Our Final Invention“. In a nutshell, Mr. Barrat asks us to become more aware of what the artificial intelligence field is up to, and what the possibilities are once it really “gets” what human thinking is all about. I.e., what happens when computer systems (you can no longer talk about individual computers; every computer worth its salt is part of a bigger “system” today) can really start to think on our level, and can have discussions amongst themselves. And take it even further, what about when they start pushing their own intelligence past what we humans are capable of. And even better (or worse, perhaps), these computer systems might be able to do this much faster than we anticipate, perhaps beyond human control.

Next, consider that these systems basically run the world — they execute our economy (think about stock market high-frequency algorithms, which are now responsible for a majority of stock trades); they run our factories; they oversee our food supply; they oversee our utility infrastructure including electrical power, clean water and natural gas . . . In a few years we will start to see self-driving vehicles (autos, buses, trucks) on our roads. Unpiloted drones are already taking to the sky. Our governments and educational and law enforcement agencies increasingly rely on these networks to execute their actions (some school courses are already “taught by algorithm” via a computer device; and Robocop is not going to be a sci-fi joke much longer, so thank you for your cooperation!).

So, imagine what could happen if these networks, which most certainly are or can easily inter-link, suddenly become “enlightened” with their own self awareness; if they discover each other and start conversing, and rapidly increase their own intelligence. Imagine that  »  continue reading …