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Scientists Worry Machines May Outsmart Man

msbae,

Well, the thought of self-replicating machines and nanobots has been an issue brought up before...

In fact there was a video which was kind of a satirical video which essentially showed a mad-scientist trying to destroy the world with self-replicating nanotechnology.


CuttingEdge100
 
Self replicating technology would be great.
You'd have the technology that continously improves itself by recycling existing/old tech and turning into new ones ... a matter manipulation tech essentially.
But of course if you want it controlled, then you have to make sure it asks for human input so we don't get left out entirely from the process.

As for the aspect that machines may outsmart man ... I'd say they already did if a certain portion of the human population is to be taken into consideration.
:D
 
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Cutting Edge will not like this one...

IBM develops DNA-like microchips...

http://www.crn.com/hardware/219400162;jsessionid=PUVVXTHMIQ03FQE1GHPSKHWATMY32JVN

OMG The Technology is making babies!!!1! :shifty:

This IBM thing, is it using this to replicate chips in rapid order? Or is it developing chips that can replicate as well?

I think it's both.
No, they're not talking about microchips that can replicate themselves, They're using the shapes and structures of DNA to allow for the creation of even smaller microchips. This would BE the production process, the DNA nanostructures would pull some basic self assembly into play, but that would just be during the production process. They wouldn't be able to change themselves or create more of themselves post-production...
 
FordSVT,

Well, a self-replicating nano-bot would not necessarily produce such a result, but there's a possibility that it could and as a result serious thought needs to be given regarding such a matter, especially regarding risk of malfunctions and stuff.


Aneas,

No, they're not talking about microchips that can replicate themselves, They're using the shapes and structures of DNA to allow for the creation of even smaller microchips. This would BE the production process, the DNA nanostructures would pull some basic self assembly into play, but that would just be during the production process. They wouldn't be able to change themselves or create more of themselves post-production...

Okay, I understand what you're saying. I take it this would much more rapidly increase the rate of production as well?


CuttingEdge100
 
FordSVT,

Well, a self-replicating nano-bot would not necessarily produce such a result, but there's a possibility that it could and as a result serious thought needs to be given regarding such a matter, especially regarding risk of malfunctions and stuff.


Aneas,

No, they're not talking about microchips that can replicate themselves, They're using the shapes and structures of DNA to allow for the creation of even smaller microchips. This would BE the production process, the DNA nanostructures would pull some basic self assembly into play, but that would just be during the production process. They wouldn't be able to change themselves or create more of themselves post-production...
Okay, I understand what you're saying. I take it this would much more rapidly increase the rate of production as well?


CuttingEdge100
I would assume it would be faster to make them but the article only specifically says that they'd be cheaper to make, and the chips themselves are supposed to have faster processing power and throw less heat because of how they are made. It'll also let the chips be even smaller than they can make them currently.


 
I really think that we would be kind of screwed if machines suddenly decided to make war on us. I'm not really sure this comparison works, but it's the best I can think of:
Look at AI in videogames. In some cases, it can be exceedingly difficult to outwit a digital opponent- Deep Blue beat Garry Kasparov at chess for example. Imagine if that programming were somehow applied to physical machines. Brilliant supersoldiers, without any concern for human life. Wait, it gets better! What if an artificial intelligence were commanding our military and somehow or another caught a damn virus? A piece of equipment that would probably cost copius amounts of time and money to develop is suddenly worthless, and our armed forces are without a commander. In Isaac Asimov's "I, Robot" and by extension the movie of the same name are about how the 3 laws of robotics are broken: A robot must protect human life and cannot, directly or indirectly cause harm to humans; must obey orders given to it by humans; and must protect itself as long as it does not conflict with the First or Second laws. Even if we somehow attempt to block artificial minds from becoming self-aware, it only delays it. The robot apocalypse is coming! :scream:
 
Where did that quote "When man made machines in his image, thus did man become the architect of his own demise" come from? I remember hearing something to that effect but I'm not sure if I got it right.


CuttingEdge
 
Deep Blue beat Garry Kasparov at chess for example. Imagine if that programming were somehow applied to physical machines.

Since the space of actions in the physical world is unimaginably larger than the space of actions in chess (which is already a huge space), it's safe to say that it's impossible for a chess program to suddenly extend its abilities to the physical world.

Top-of-the-line robots today still struggle with simple navigation in an unknown environment.
 
Well I look forward to the future where machines are equally or more intelligent then Humans. It can only do good for society.
 
Just saw this article and thought it I'd link it here.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8221009.stm

So far, the silver screen has been quite accurate, except when it comes to robots, says Dr Kaku.
In fact, he says Hollywood has misled us into thinking that smart robots are just around the corner.
Fans of the emotional Sonny from I-Robot, or the depressed and bored Marvin from The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy, may be disappointed to hear that they are more likely to find a cockroach composing a symphony or writing a poem than a robot.
"Stupid cockroaches are smarter than our robots," says Dr Kaku.
"Robots are nothing but tape-recorders, pre-scripted moves ahead of time.
"Digital computers have a hard time learning and that's the fundamental problem. They don't learn new skills."
 
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