A.I., Cybernetics and Doomsday

GuanYin

So I watched (to my shame) and episode of the terminator TV show and didn't think much about it until I was reading about the Robot Show in LA, showcasing the latest technologies in robotics and cybernetics.

One group (from the UK) has unvelied a robot that utilizes rat brain matter(isolated neurons) in its operation. It is probably one of the first true "cyborgs" and I guess will only open the door for more advanced research of this nature.

Add to that the Japanese research in both cybernetics and human looking androids, and the continued progress of advanced A.I., would we ever be in danger of an artificial intelligence taking over or viewing human kind as a threat?

Are there laws or protocols in place to monitor the development of A.I.?

Just curious as to what point science starts imitating art

thebaldsoprano

GuanYin wrote: »

One group (from the UK) has unvelied a robot that utilizes rat brain matter(isolated neurons) in its operation.

Eeewww...

Mewonders what Mr Turing would make of that actually.

5uspect

The Register have their Rise of the Machines section for lots of similar stories, with their particular brand of, er, humour...
http://www.theregister.co.uk/science/rotm/

Most of it is firmly tongue in cheek and hysteria baiting but every so often there is a good story.

There are going to be interesting times ahead. I'm quite interested to see where biological computing goes as it should open up whole rafts of ethical issues never mind the potential of such systems as tools.

AtomicHorror

Read up on the concept of technological singularity. The idea goes that once creative AIs exist, they'll be able to exponentially re-design themselves to the point that they and the technology they create is incomprehensible to human minds. Whether this means a threat to us humans relies a lot on how we program the first generation! Categorical imperatives ftw.