The Telegraph has an article expounding the latest predictions that the near future will become science fiction. The article’s focus is on artificial intelligence, and states that the “second genesis” is as close as five years away.
“A synthetic, made-to-order living system could produce everything from new drugs to biofuels and greenhouse gas absorbers.
Opponents of the controversial research claim the technology could lead to machines becoming ‘almost human’.”
It is an interesting prospect. Any concept of artificial intelligence can’t help but be buttressed by our fantasies as portrayed in cinema and print. We have seen what can happen in our films, for instance, and we know that in this scenario, the situation sours fairly quickly. Although sometimes, they find the need for love and companionship.
The notion is built around the creation of a cell, a part of which has already been accomplished. The fulfillment of this, one research said, “would be a relatively minor challenge.” As for the safety issues that arise, in a decidedly unsatisfactory comment, the author presumes “there would be no safety issues for a long time as any initial organisms would be very primitive and need large-scale life support in the lab.”
It is hard to be reassured that the safety issues would not present themselves “for a long time,” rather than assuming we can manage A.I. without safety issues. But the particularly interesting element of the creation of artificial intgelligence seems to accompany what purpose would be served by such beings. On this point, the article is mostly silent.
Could the world possibly move into an era of artificial intelligence without having profound effects on the natural world? It would seem highly unlikely. But, despite my initial assumptions that any impact would be harmful, it is worth thinking about how such technology could improve upon our current environmental problems, such as absorbing CO2, as the article suggests.
There are already independent machines that are involved in agriculture and environmental work. MIT has “managed to release robots that are smart enough to tend to tomato plants without the need for any human intervention,” among other practical applications. Whether five years is a reasonable expectation for the development of A.I. seems an unimportant notion. But the unknown and unquantifiable results of such progres does provide an interesting course for one’s thoughts.
