While I was away people were often interested to learn that I studied AI, but there were a couple of times when (otherwise very intelligent) people told me they were convinced that sufficiently advanced systems could only be used to enslave/exterminate humanity. One even went so far as to compare my honours project to vivisection. She seemed appalled that I took as a compliment the suggestion that I had created a system with sophistication comparable to a thinking and feeling animal.
The critics of AI might not be so wrong though because, according to the Telegraph,
Terrorists could one day use an army of robot “suicide bombers” to attack British targets
Schneier calls it a “movie-plot threat”, but I suppose it’s good to know that someone in the Home Office is planning for the rise of the Cylons…
Today we went to Miraikan (Japan’s National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation) and were just in time to see ASIMO come out of his* cupboard and run around for a bit!
ASIMO was only out for about 15 minutes, but he was pretty impressive. He did a bit of running in a straight line and managed to kick a football across the stage to one of the museum staff. He didn’t attempt any stairs though!
*ASIMO is so awesome that I often think of it as a tiny person in a suit. A kind of Turing test I suppose.
I’m currently sitting in the airport at Cairns waiting on my flight to Tokyo. I’ve still got about an hour before boarding, but that’s alright, there’s free wireless here!
It’s a little strange to be leaving the country I’ve been travelling through for the last 7 months or so. It seems I’ve been here long enough that other travellers look at me and think I must have some idea what I’m doing with this travel lark! I ended up helping a couple of people plan trips down the East coast to Melbourne while I was sitting on Magnetic Island! I don’t mind it all. I asked the same questions 6-months ago. It’s just a little strange being “that guy” now!
Anyway. Today I’m travelling from a country I know quite a bit about, to one that I’m relatively clueless about. I can’t wait to see it though! Lots of raw fish and robots everywhere! Awesome! That, and I’m meeting my parents and brother there. That should be good too!
