Perhaps the Robots will Take Over

Dear Buythenet:

You said:

If humans keep working on robots and robot brains such as IBM's Watson who is now champion at the game Jeopardy!, then perhaps we don't have to be concerned with how to make humans extinct. The robots will do it for us. Here are some YouTube videos which discuss this topic:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frprCxIerGg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4sTPTsq-UM

While the videos are rather humorous (and as believable as a Davey and Goliath Cartoon, see comments below*...) you are actually on to something.

(BTW, I'm a volunteer)...

As Earth's systems fail, and humans find life is difficult and soon to be impossible, some smart folk will realize the only way "Humanity" will survive is through digital avatars/robots/self replicating and scattered amongst the stars...each with a compendium of human knowledge (WikiWiki)...

The "interesting" thing will be if we can get that together, well enough, before we're wiped clean out of the universe.

I submit no alien "civilization" has yet done so, unless life on Earth is a result thereof!

Therefore, it's unlikely we'll be successful and I'll put real money on that bet, based solely on lack of evidence of alien life...

IMHO.  and LOL, since others may bet otherwise, but neither they nor I will be around to enjoy our bets whichever wins!

Don't have kids.  It's immoral.  Here's why:

People, overall, see an overpopulated planet and say: We need more food.  We need more energy.

If those limitations, just the current crop of nature's forces we've overcome for the last 1,000,000 years, are also over come, do you think we will suddenly adapt to a sustainable relationship with the biosphere?  

If so, do tell.

Human nature not only is to spoil our nest and move on, it is also to overcome any limitation to our existence.  

With enough energy and food, what will then overcome the desire for "all" to have kids, which will simply provide us the opportunity to eat every other living thing on the planet.  Game over.

-- 

FRISH

* I am well aware of technology "evolution" (and market acceptance thereof (MBA Marketing, 15 years with IBM new product development...), CEO of a software firm, etc. but it all began with my BA of Archaeology..always happy to talk about technology from the Atlatl to WATSON!))

 

Humans are subject to Evolution, we survive at the pleasure of the biosphere, but robots must be 

built, redesigned, and "improved"  

What does improved mean to a robot?

By what means will Robots decide what their evolution ought to be?

They are only here to serve, even as they may be dangerous from all sorts of viewpoints.

Firstly they can be immensely powerful (runaway nuclear war command computers anyone?) and couldn't care less about what damage they may do.  

But, think about a car, out of control, we already live in a world where technology is out to get us!

BTW, no robot would be miffed that humans shoot the messenger.  

That datum could be part of it's laws of human behavior, the robot would only find it "interesting" if the human did NOT shoot the messenger, which is SO NON-NOTEWORTHY as to be ignored, by both robots and humans.  

If the messenger does get shot, that's as expected and even less noteworthy!

Robots don't know squat about what's right/wrong or all the other ways our chemistry and culture are expressed.

I would think a world of robots would be at grave risk as a "monoculture".

Think about WHY humans have personalities in the first place and perhaps you'll see what I mean...