In the last article of this series I spoke about technological singularity, which is a theory that technology will eventually advance so quickly that the future will be unimaginably different than it is today. I wrote about the fact that it is very possible that in the distant (or not so distant) future, a computer may be built that could outsmart a human being! So if the singularity may be looming in the future, how would humans get over that initial first hurdle of building a computer that is smarter than humanity? Theorists reason there are two ways: amplifying the intelligence of human brains until we are intelligent enough to come up with this computer, and artificial intelligence.
Taking a human brain and expanding its intelligence seems like it might be a long way off in the future, but there are many ways that scientists can do this even today. After all, in laboratories, it is fairly easy for scientists to genetically modify mice. Granted, they are just mice, but genetic modification of the human brain could be an option for the future. Then there are nootropic drugs, which are drugs, supplements and foods that have the capacity to improve mental functions. Refer to the field of psychopharmaceuticals if you don’t believe me that these exist.
Direct brain-computer interfaces exist, which are basically direct communication pathways between a brain and an external device. Monkeys have been able to control robotic arms simply by using their brains! One final example is mind uploading, which scientists are exploring now. This is the process of scanning a biological brain in detail and copying its state into a computer system. If this ever came about this would mean immortality for anyone who wanted to have their minds uploaded. Their consciousness would remain in the realm of the internet long after their biological bodies have died.
Then we return to the notion of artificial intelligence, in which smarter and smarter computers keep on being designed by humans until we have a computer that is smart enough to design another computer that is smarter than itself. Theoretically, every computer that is smarter will design an even smarter computer, until they have outsmarted human beings.
Either way, it seems as though we are approaching the point of a very intelligent, self programming computer soon. Currently, there are a number of computers who are responsible for making very important decisions regarding the human race. The United States Navy lets us know that as military robots become more complex, we should give more attention to the ramifications of their capacity to make autonomous decisions. Military robots potentially hold the lives of other people in their hands, and yes, they do make their “own” decisions. Many people feel that the leaps and bounds that we are already making with Artificial Intelligence should include an effort to make AI friendly and humane. It is definitely worth considering! To be continued in the next article, “What Happens After Humans Design A Computer That Can Outsmart Them?
Mallory Megan works for a medical collection agency. Looking to find out more about the fair debt collection practices act? Hire a debt collection agency.