A miniature helicopter enters your workplace through an open window. It avoids alarms and security cameras as it navigates its way to your boss's office. It removes a flash drive from her desk and deposits a substitute, possibly even bearing a potent virus, so the crime goes undetected.This would have been science fiction until recently but now it is part of the Sixth International Aerial Robotics Competition, held at the University of Puerto Rico in 2010. While this is a wonderful challenge, it also serves as a forceful warning of crime’s coming robotization.
Soldiers now can launch missiles from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV's) without ever being in the line of fire. But what happens when the wrong hands get the same technology? And what if there's is better? As AI and robots advance these are all things that need to be taken into account.
It is human nature to evolve, adapt, and inspire innovation. However, the consequences are difficult to predict. Innovation tends to have a snowball effect, with one thing leading to another. Before long, the original purpose of the technology is a distant memory replaced by some unforeseen development, good or bad.
ReplyDelete