Tim Newcomb
Mon, January 9, 2023
Is Robot Consciousness the Next Big Thing?
Paul Taylor - Getty Images
The latest robot research about robots choosing new behavior is a step beyond artificial intelligence.
Instead of simply adapting to situations, a conscious robot would proactively improve itself.
Is robot consciousness just a different form of human-programmed artificial intelligence?
Scientists have long considered robot consciousness a subject fraught with ethical—maybe even moral—pitfalls, and so they left it out of the artificial intelligence equation. But that’s no longer the case, says a Columbia University engineer.
Hod Lipson, Columbia’s director of the Creative Machines Lab, recently told the New York Times that the idea of a robot with a conscious was traditionally taboo. “We were almost forbidden from talking about it,” Lipson said. “Don’t talk about the c-word; you won’t get tenure. So in the beginning I had to disguise it, like it was something else.”
That disguise has now lifted. According to Lipson, the next step for robotic artificial intelligence will be allowing a robot to learn about its own function and make its own decisions on self-improvement. So, instead of just effectively responding to circumstances, a conscious robot would then predict how it might better its operations. Once this type of conscious robot is up and running, Lipson said it could one day outpace humans in function.
He continued:
“This is not just another research question that we’re working on—this is the question. This is bigger than curing cancer. If we can create a machine that will have consciousness on par with a human, this will eclipse everything else we’ve done. That machine itself can cure cancer.”
Before we get carried too far away, researchers aren’t yet sure if they can even effectively build a robot with a conscious. And can humans really create something smarter than ourselves? Add in the fact that nobody quite knows how to properly define conscious, and are we even sure exactly what we’re trying to create?
And that’s why, philosophy aside, researchers are focused on establishing a basic animal-like definition that centers on a robot becoming self-aware—able to see itself performing in the future and adapt function to better meet potential needs.
Of course, we’re a long way off from crafting any sort of robot that can challenge a human’s mind—after all, we don’t even fully understand how the mind works, so how could we program one?—but that won’t stop the discussion or the attempt to create a smarter, more helpful robot. If that means it needs a conscious, there’s at least one scientist eager to explore the next step.
The latest robot research about robots choosing new behavior is a step beyond artificial intelligence.
Instead of simply adapting to situations, a conscious robot would proactively improve itself.
Is robot consciousness just a different form of human-programmed artificial intelligence?
Scientists have long considered robot consciousness a subject fraught with ethical—maybe even moral—pitfalls, and so they left it out of the artificial intelligence equation. But that’s no longer the case, says a Columbia University engineer.
Hod Lipson, Columbia’s director of the Creative Machines Lab, recently told the New York Times that the idea of a robot with a conscious was traditionally taboo. “We were almost forbidden from talking about it,” Lipson said. “Don’t talk about the c-word; you won’t get tenure. So in the beginning I had to disguise it, like it was something else.”
That disguise has now lifted. According to Lipson, the next step for robotic artificial intelligence will be allowing a robot to learn about its own function and make its own decisions on self-improvement. So, instead of just effectively responding to circumstances, a conscious robot would then predict how it might better its operations. Once this type of conscious robot is up and running, Lipson said it could one day outpace humans in function.
He continued:
“This is not just another research question that we’re working on—this is the question. This is bigger than curing cancer. If we can create a machine that will have consciousness on par with a human, this will eclipse everything else we’ve done. That machine itself can cure cancer.”
Before we get carried too far away, researchers aren’t yet sure if they can even effectively build a robot with a conscious. And can humans really create something smarter than ourselves? Add in the fact that nobody quite knows how to properly define conscious, and are we even sure exactly what we’re trying to create?
And that’s why, philosophy aside, researchers are focused on establishing a basic animal-like definition that centers on a robot becoming self-aware—able to see itself performing in the future and adapt function to better meet potential needs.
Of course, we’re a long way off from crafting any sort of robot that can challenge a human’s mind—after all, we don’t even fully understand how the mind works, so how could we program one?—but that won’t stop the discussion or the attempt to create a smarter, more helpful robot. If that means it needs a conscious, there’s at least one scientist eager to explore the next step.
No comments:
Post a Comment