Inhuman Kind
Technology can often be a source of great benefit in our lives. Robotics in particular promises to perform many essential functions at home, at work, in disaster areas or on the battlefield. But these advances in robotics could also represent the ultimate double-edged sword. What if these technologies are built beyond our control?
“When technology develops faster than intelligence,” explains MIT physics professor Max Tegmark, “it’s like going to kindergarten and giving them a bunch of hand grenades to play with.”
Professor Tegmark’s decidedly cautious views are just one stitch in the tapestry of an exciting new documentary, Inhuman Kind, which investigates emerging robotic technologies and the potential consequences of misusing them.
The film begins at Virginia Tech, where several competing labs are working around the clock to perfect the next advance in artificial intelligence. Ambitious teams of technologists are building machines they believe will play a key role in ensuring the safety and quality of life of countless people around the world. Their robots are designed to scour areas torn apart by natural disasters or war, performing often dangerous tasks normally undertaken by their human counterparts. When used for humanitarian purposes, the possibilities of these inventions are certainly promising. However, those who oppose these development plans are not so sure, especially considering that much of this technology is funded by the US military’s internal branch.
“Where’s the moral? Where’s the moral?” Jody Williams, director of the advocacy group Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, asked respondents. “Why do people think it’s okay to build machines that can target and kill themselves?” In their view, the military will never spend so much money in this area of technology unless the endgame includes the eventual arming of these robotic machines; something It has already happened to other harmless robotic servants, such as bomb and mine detectors, and most controversially, surveillance drones. Technology is advancing so rapidly that it could one day lead to the construction of a fully autonomous robot and all sorts of disturbing doomsday scenarios.
Inhuman Kind calls for greater awareness of these potential problems and urges that such freedoms not be taken lightly or exercised without supervision.
