Monday, March 16, 2009

Technology: How Far is Too Far?


by Kyle Owens

Many times I have logged onto YouTube and have seen a video of a robot playing a violin or performing some other talent I had only thought was capable by humans. These small but subtle steps in robotics make me think. How far is humanity willing to go in terms of robots? Many movies come to mind when I think of robots. Since this is a movie class I feel I can share them. Now before you call me
paranoid, just think about these movies. Although they are forms of entertainment, and are fiction, many have a strong truth behind them. Robot and Terminator are the main two movies that come to mind. Humans create robot, robot adapts and learns, robot decides it does not need human. Now as I said before, these are fake movies, but we already have machines building cars, performing surgery, and my personal favorite, making other machines. Mankind seems to be so preoccupied by pushing the boundaries that they forget that sometimes it is the boundaries that keep us safe.


Think of a zoo. The lion does not eat the tourist, because it is behind a boundary, remove said boundary and the zoo now has a large lawsuit issue to deal with. I believe Dr. Ian Malcolm from Jurassic Park said it best when he said, “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.”


Yet again I would like to point out that I know these are fiction. But already scientists are building robots that can rebuild themselves and make copies. And every day, people are being laid off because a machine can do their job quicker, and cheaper. The military is investing in unmanned machines and robots. (Machines with weapon capabilities, if that’s not scary, I don’t know what is. Didn’t Wargames have a plot along those lines?)


We as humans must adapt or we will be left behind or Terminated (I couldn’t help myself.)


So my question to you is, how do you feel about the Continuum (Machines building Machines) and how do you think the world will change in the face of Machine?

This has more or less been a rant by Kyle Owens.

29 comments:

Nathan James said...

Lol. Great Blog. Probably my favorite out of any of the class's so far.

And what do I think about the growing technology? Well, I think it's becoming greatly absurd. The term 'machines making machines' just scares me to some degree, even though it's been in circulation for a while now. Some things that technology's birthing is convenient, yes, but can make one lazy very quickly over time. Kinda like the movie Wall-e.

Anyways, those are my concise thoughts. Bye.

Surreptitious Faerie said...

Dude totally. Clearly if those imbeciles are left to their own devices they're going to build something far to intelligent. Have you seen Eagle Eye? If not, watch it. Machines are not to be trusted. The inanimate and unintelligent ones already hate me. They are already plotting amongst themselves and planning a rebellion. D: I think that if machines become smarter than we are we're all gonna die. This is how it's gonna go down. The humans will create something smarter then they are, but put their complete trust in it. Then the robots will clone dinosaurs and we'll have a REAL Jurassic Park on our hands. Humans will just be like "Dude cool, wish we thought of that" and ignore it like it isn't COMPLETELY DANGEROUS. Then the dinosaurs and the robots will team up with the Anti-Christ and they will attempt to control the world, using threats, media, and their evil ways to brainwash society into thinking they're right, and humans will become third class citizens, or trade places with the animals in the zoo, and will be a sideshow for the Robots(who apparently support PETA.), Dinosaurs, and animals. World domination. Then we all die. Unless Jesus sends down an EMP and stops the madness before the robots can clone the dinosaurs. Otherwise I say we're screwed. (I'm sorry, this was just to good to pass up :D )

I totally should've figured a way to stick magical creatures in there.

Umm, my real answer to the question... I honestly don't foresee robots taking over the world. I don't think humans are mentally capable of creating an operating system to simulate a real brain that is able to create thoughts. The ones that can talk can only respond to prerecorded phrases and words. I'm not saying that it couldn't happen, but I'm skeptical of it ever happening. And if it does, well maybe they really WILL create dinosaurs. That would be pretty wicked... and Jesus would save us. :D Okay I'm done. No more soda at 1 AM.(I don't think I even managed to ACTUALLY answer the question. >_> )

postscript- The simple fact that you ACTUALLY wrote this for the blog makes me cackle, and confirms my suspicions that you're insane as well. xD

Anonymous said...

Robots are never going to rule the world, Kyle. They are only computers with moving parts. Computers, like any other electronic device, have to be programmed to do anything, and no matter how much "AI" they have they will never operate outside those parameters. The only way robots could control the world is if they were given a specific set of plans to do so. The only exception to this rule would be if someone created a "Robocop" style robot, but even then there would still be a human brain controling the machine.
Technology going to far would have nothing to with robots and everything to do with cloning. Imagine the world in 2030 where wealthy people have there own back-up clones. The clones will be full-grown people grown in labs, paralyzed all of their life, and then have their internal organs harvested for their counterpart's use whenever his go bad (sort of like in "The Sixth Day"). THAT is too far.

Anonymous said...

I'm with Daniel. It is mind-numbing when you think of the moral ramifications of machines growing people, not just creating clones, but harvesting babies for who-knows-what purpose.

Galactus said...

Nathan,

Yeah I agree with you. Either we are going to be whited out, or we will be really lazy and fat. I'd like the lazy and fat one over the other though. We could also hope the robots are like the droids in Star Wars. Looked down upon and see more as a tool than anything.

Galactus said...

Alaina,

Well, in Terminator Skynet started out small too. A Chess program if I am correct. Next thing you know Cyberdyne is launching it into space with a few nukes attached to it's hull.

However, I must complement you on your very plausible and accurate description of the Apocalypse. I never would have guessed the Metal Menace would clone dinosaurs. The fiends.

Anonymous said...

I think that technology will not get worse. We are always going to get better. So, the question is, when are we going to stop? Well, we will stop when Jesus comes back. Are we going to get to the point of robots taking over the world? Probally not. But, I think that robots will get way more advanced in the next ten years. And, like Nathan said, we will get very lazy. We spend so much of our day working, so if robots do the work for us, what will we do? I believe that we will never get to the point of robots replacing humans jobs. I believe this because of this bible verse: "By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return." Genesis 3:19

Anonymous said...

o my gosh i talk about this all the time i think like i robot if anyone has ever seen this movie. I think the world will deffenitly turn out like that movie robots have become a big problem in the world and i yhink they should be stoped.

Anonymous said...

I think if we could replace people we didn't like to work with as machines that would be great. I wouldn't have to put up with the smart attitude the women have at work. It world make life a lot easier for me!LOL.

Surreptitious Faerie said...

You see, that is exactly what the robot's want us to believe. They want humans to trust them, and be ignorant of their wiley ways. They're going to pull a fast one one us, by teaming up with the dinosaurs BECAUSE humans believe that beings separated by such great amounts of time could never work together. It's like survival of the fittest, only not, because evolution is stupid and contradictory of itself.

And to anyone who says robots are incapable of becoming intelligent enough to think on their own, you clearly haven't watched or read NEARLY enough Sci-fi. This is coming from the fantasy chick(Elves and faeries kick the robotical bootay), so you know its pretty bad. So run to your local library and become knowledgable! LEARN ABOUT YOUR NEMISIS! KEEP YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE AND YOUR ENEMIES CLOSER.

:)night

Anonymous said...

Alaina,
If you were caught up on your Sci-fi you would know that the real threat lies with clones. Have you ever scene the Star Wars prequils? They have robots gallore in that series but who was it that killed the Jedi(s?)? The clones.

Galactus said...

But Alaina, isn't technology the bane of the natural world? If the robots and dinos did hook up, it would only be for a limited run. Or they would betray each other in the middle of the war. A lot like Hitler did to Russia in WWII.

Anonymous said...

I have no problem with technology I hope to see more of it. Maybe we can get little robots to fight for us like in starwars! That would be so groovy.

Anonymous said...

Um ok, first of all, robots will never control. God wouldn't have made humans the "rulers" of the planet if something could control us other than God.

I think the technology is getting so much worse. Why do we need so many things? People running the companies that sell all these things just want the money (sounds so obvious but DUH)
I mean come on, no need to invent so many types of video games. We have xboxs/xbox360, ps1-3s, Wiis, pcs, gameboys, what else do we NEED?? Nothing!!

And why waste their time making millions of kinds of vacuums! If one type works fine then thats all that matters.

Humans just wants the power of "creating" things. They want to be able to say "I made that and it is great". To really answer the question, I highly doubt that robots will control the world, maybe another planet, but not earth. I also doubt humans are intelligent enough to make something with such a mind that would even try to control the world. No one can make something as intelligently designed as God can, humans can try, but they will most likely FAIL.

Anonymous said...

Amy, I agree that while some people are a pain to work with, at least you have someone to work with. A machine would simply do what it is programed. Not much else. Work would be really dull.

And how much longer would it be before you were replaced?

Anonymous said...

Dallas, another fighter in the resistance. I, Robot is a great example of machines going too far. They had a set of rules that they were unable to break, however they studied the laws and found a way around them. So much of the "Three Laws of Safety."

Anonymous said...

Well, Demetri, I'd hate to disagree with you, but people are being replace by machines everyday. Especially now in this economy. Which do you think a boss would take. A human that can cook 7 pancakes an hour, who gets paid minimum wage. Or a machine, while expensive, can dish out 14 pancakes an hour without needing to be paid.

I know what I would pick if I was running a business.

Anonymous said...

OH MY GOODNESS! Nathan stole my thunder (again) :(

The first thing I thought about was Wall-e and how if we continue on the path of robots/machines doing everything for us, we will eventually become extinct (haha) or rather we'd all become lazy bums who sit around and do nothing for the rest of our human lives.

What's wrong with a little hard work (done by humans) ?

Anonymous said...

Hahahahaha. Alaina, you're amazing. You mentioning EMPs reminds me of Small Soldiers, which I watched the other day on TV, by the way. Good thing all the little Gorgonites didn't get their chips blown up :O that would have been bad.

But also Alaina, Sci-fi has its name for a reason...Science fiction. All of what you read and see in movies is far from possible. I'm sure you realize that.

Anonymous said...

Daniel and Mr.s Brooks, you do have a valid point. It's a lot like The Island. People are grown as a sort of insurance policy. Who better to get an organ transplant then yourself?

But I have to disagree with the robots not being able to overstep their operating system. Already we have video games that have AI that think and anticipate the players movements and choices. The AI is adaptive and learns from defeat or victory. You could play a level, and hold up in one area and beat all the enemies the game throws at you. The next time you play the same level, the game will over run that area before you have a chance to set up.

Either way, it is better to be on guard than to dismiss it as unbelievable.

Cyberpsalmist said...

If they ever invent a robot that would get my breakfast, lunch and dinner made on time, clean my house and homeschool my kids for me, I'd give my eye teeth.

Surreptitious Faerie said...

Kyle, I'm telling you, its part of their insidious plot of world domination. They are smarter than you think, so why would they disregard such an awesome power to work for them? They use their super brains to predict each and every move necessary for total conquest. Being a bane to nature isn't relevant, because these dinosaurs were created in labs, there for are the banes of nature themselves. Though I could totally see the dinosaurs betraying the robots. Or trying to eat them. Which is kind of like betraying them only the robot wouldn't be around to know it.

Nathan, your science fiction is a lie. Clearly. :| Because it contradicts with me. So it can't possibly exist because I'm all knowing and it would cause this vast time paradox and we'd all be sucked into a vortex, and die. So then the robots would have nothing to repress which would cause their systems to malfunction and burn out, then no one would clone the dinosaurs and the antichrist would lack an army to command. The end. You see what you did? You killed the world. Good job.

Daniel, you took me seriously? Pshhh first mistake. I'm crazy, you can't take me seriously. It just encourages me and then makes my poor therapists job harder. They are STILL trying to convince me I can't fly. Silly humans.

Anonymous said...

I just remembered that in Star Wars there was an entire robot ARMY. The clones not only defeated them and the Jedi but also put the Sith lord in power. Clones are the real threat!
And why are we talking about this subject of scheming tech on the internet where every single hypothetically evil robot ON EARTH can hear us??

Nathan James said...

Then I am very proud of what I have done :]

I take pride in knowing I have just given the human race an eternal compound fracture.

Anonymous said...

Robots are being given a lot to do these days. Unfortunately, we are seeing more self-checkouts at the grocery store rather than actual human cashiers.
However, any worldwide havoc consisting of robots gone crazy would have to be caused by humans, not by some group of robots suddenly becoming better and gaining actual brains. Man makes robots that in turn are programmed to make more robots, BUT we cannot give anything we make a brain or life. Only God can do that. If robots did cause a ruckus, a human (or humans) would be behind it, controlling them. Also, clones still receive life from God...we simply mess with the genetics.
To believe that somehow something we make can come to life on its own and evolve to a higher level of intelligence is ultimately to believe in evolution (or at least is on the borderline). That is to ignore--even deny--the Creator. As Christians, we know not only that God is in control but we also have a general knowledge of what will take place in the last days, thanks to the Book of Revelations in the Bible.

I loved the movie I Robot...However, I have no fear of such an event taking place due to reading God's Word.

Anonymous said...

Nathan stole my example i was going to use with Wall-e. If technology keeps progressing like it does we will all either eventually die out or we will get very lazy.

I don't think it will happen unless God wants it to happen though but if it does lets hope it's that fat part that gets the best of us.

Anonymous said...

My take on machines...they are wonderful servants...and that is the word..servants. I have seen machines in the smallest scale take the place of "thinking and reasoning" Example the classroom...calculators have now become the way to get the answer instead of the way to check the answer. Needless to say kids of this generation do not know How to think g=for themselves and therefore can be easily manipulated...they cannot think or reason for themselves.

Another thing if machines have afforded us all this "convenience and time" then why are we the most stressed out people of all the centuries past? We take no leisure, we are always too busy to spend time with friends and fellowship. Robert and I have guarded against this our entire life. We would and have changed our plans to forward someone elses...a friend, pastors, family...etc. It is all about kingdom.

As for the "church" today..there is no understanding of corporate body...and it is the day of Judges...."and the people did what was right in their own eyes". Of all the people's of the earth, we who call ourselves believers/disciples of the Most High God...should be prime examples of peace and rest and yet, I have found...we are so stressed about things; because our focus is not of the one who holds us in the palm of His hand. Go figure?

We have recreated God in our own image to make our life "comfortable" to what we choose to believe...a variable smorgasbord..we pick what we want instead of eating the entire word..no wonder we are weak, dying, powerless, non effectual and not living the life worthy of the death to which it was given. shame on us!!!

Anonymous said...

I think that technology has become something we rely on way to much in our society. If you took it all away for one day we wouldnt know what to do and it would drastically change the way our day went.If it gets any worse we are going to become even more lazy then we are now and slowly become a less sociable people because we will have everything we need in technology.

Anonymous said...

umm..it doesn't really bother me. :D