We, the robots

The development of technologies, and especially tests of artificial intelligence, lead to the thought: if the probability of a person behaving negatively is as high as it will be with a programmed humanoid machine

So many times in the history of mankind, it has been shown that man, no matter how much he is able to improve something, is equally able to destroy something. As far as we have been able to determine so far, there are no better ones than us. Maybe we're the only ones. It is a very frightening thought that we may be at the same time the supreme achievement of the universe, but also its worst nightmare. Since we are so unusually careless in guarding other things, whether they are alive or not, we have no idea how many living creatures could have become extinct forever, or will happen to them soon, because of our negligence. There is one catch that people are increasingly aware of, and that is that by destroying the environment around us, we are destroying ourselves. And maybe our most fantastic invention will help us with that: a robot.

ROBOTS

The term robot is understood in two ways: as a humanoid and as an automaton.

The term humanoid dates back a little over two and a half thousand years, from the Pandora and the Iliad. Even earlier, Egyptian, Babylonian, and even Sumerian legends from five thousand years ago inscribed on clay images of the existence of such a being - a human-like god. One variation on this theme is the idea of ​​the Golem, which is related to the Prague ghetto from the 16th century. You know that wax figure who, when her life is breathed in, becomes useful but destructive. Golem was a significant ancestor of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: the Modern Prometheus (1818). And since then, from the very idea of ​​a humanoid object, it has been more often associated with destruction than with progress.

It is now obvious enough that the word "robot" first appeared in literature, not in technology. It originates from Slavic languages ​​where "work" means work, and "worker" means worker. In his play R.U.R: Rozum's Universal Robots, from the distant 1920s, Karl Čapek introduces the word "robot" and shows a de facto legend: Rabbi Judel uses a human figure, the Great, subordinates it to his authority and uses his personal strength. After that, there is a flood of the word "robot" in the literary literature called fiction. Isak Asimov introduced the word "robotics" in 1939 and was the first to take the fear of its development more seriously. Asimov represents the three basic laws of robotics widely known as Asimov's laws of robotics.

ASIMOV'S LAWS OF ROBOTICS

The unknown, the unconscious, the unpredictability are known as exceptional triggers of that negative feeling in people, which occurs in several forms: fear, panic, horror. And when that kind of feeling dominates a person, he almost always makes negative decisions. The development of technologies, and especially the testing of artificial intelligence, leads to the thought: if the probability of a person behaving negatively is so high, what will be the probability of a programmed humanoid machine ?!

In order to reduce that probability, it is necessary to create conditions for that. In humans, the law is a creation that should guarantee certain behavior. Hence, Isak Asimov tried to preserve human superiority over robots and at the same time prevent the use of robots for evil purposes. In the famous science fiction novel I, a Robot, from 1942, he defined three laws of robotics:

The first law: A robot must not injure a human or allow its inactivity to allow a human to be injured.

Second Law: A robot must carry out orders given to it by humans, except when such orders conflict with the First Law.

Third law: The robot must protect its existence as long as such protection is not in conflict with the First and Second Laws.

Over time, as his laws became applicable in the world of science fiction, but also problematized in reality, Asimov added a zero law, which says: The robot must not endanger humanity, or to allow humanity to be endangered by its inactivity.

With these laws, the robot came out of the field of literature and was placed in the third position when it comes to its protection, which should guarantee that the robot should not be afraid even in reality. Also, there are many examples in science fiction where robots burn out in situations where they had to choose between one of those laws.

Any further discussion on the validity of these laws, their problems, and other controversies on the subject, will necessarily take us to the heart of the matter, and that is the question of ethics. The most common question when it comes to robots is the question - who is behind them? Who decides how these sophisticated machines will be used and for what purposes? These are all questions that we will hear at a science fiction convention, rather than in a laboratory where robots are actually created. Let's see what the current situation is in that regard.

AUTOMATIC MACHINES

Automata, another form of robot, are literally "self-moving things" that have fascinated people for a long time. Early models depended on levers, wheels, or hydraulics. The primary purpose of the vending machine was entertainment rather than some useful work. Although many patterns have been used, the most fascinating thing has always been the machine that looked like a man. During the twentieth century, several newer technologies moved automata into the realm of work. And what is the perception of robots today and whether it differs from reality, we would find out if we conducted a survey among random passers-by. We would probably get the following picture of things: a group of slightly older passers-by would perceive robots as those two specimens from Star Wars, rescuing princesses in space. Another, slightly younger group, would think of the Terminator at the thought of a robot, while the youngest would see a robot as Asimo.

However, if we were to line up all real robots in one column today, we would see that 90% of them are in factories and used for production. Industrial robots are machines that simply make some things better than us. The number of robots in the world is growing as the price of human labor is rising. As one manager from General Motors jokingly said, when the cost of human labor becomes one dollar more expensive per hour, a thousand new robots become economical. Robots, therefore, produce material value and make a profit. Also, we use them when the work that needs to be done is extremely monotonous, ie unhealthy for a person.

The reality, therefore, shows that people make machines with which they perfect their work. The only fear is that they could take our potential job. But you shouldn't worry too much about that either. It is enough to rely on the human mastery of creation and new fields of human work will soon be discovered. It is certainly a more entertaining topic to think about than the apocalyptic and universally worrying one: the destruction of humanity.

Author: Velimirveki97