ProfessorGeoff Hinton , hired byGoogle , thinks that he ’s on the verge of designing computer program with the often overlooked " powerfulness of common sense . " For some people , induce a automaton partner with common sense might be a step up from their current " boo . "
Hinton is helping to uprise novel algorithms for figurer that will be able to chat to us as though they were another human . Other than raw conversation , Hinton also cerebrate that they are on the brink of program that can habituate logic , and maybe even flirt with us . ( Is that an outside hard drive in your pocket or … oh never listen ) .
This may seem ludicrous , but it might not be too long until you could go out and take hold of a cup ofJavawith a robot companion . “ It ’s not that far - fetched,”Hinton said . “ I do n’t see why it should n’t be like a friend . I do n’t see why you should n’t grow quite attached to them . ”
Hinton imagine that a coquettish program would “ probably be quite simple ” to create , although “ It probably would n’t be subtly flirtatious to begin with , but it would be capable of saying borderline politically wrong phrases . ” ( look , that is n’t flirt ? )
“ You have to be master of the genuine first,”Hinton said , “ But then , Americans do n’t get irony either . estimator are going to reach the layer of Americans before brit . ”
Creating system of logic in the robots starts by devolving the skillful art of conversation ( and romance ) down to a sequence of numbers . Every thought can be give a " thought vector " . It sounds a bit too fantastical to be able to wrench complex mental process , like idea , into a couple of digits , “ But there ’s no reason why not . I think you could capture a sentiment by a vector,”Hinton muse .
Introducing your robot girlfriend or boyfriend to your parents might be a problem for the next generation . ( Should we " smash " at your sign or mine ? ) Nonetheless , it ’s interesting to pop out thinking of the implications early on . How many problem could " logic - bot " replace ? Can a robot " love " ? Would they need to buy a train ticket ?
Hinton ’s contribution to thinking about the future come in as a sobering warning and is not to be brush off lightly . “ I ’m more scared about the thing that have already happened,”said Hinton .
“ The NSA is already bugging everything that everybody does . Each time there ’s a new Revelation of Saint John the Divine fromSnowden , you realize the extent of it . ”
“ I am scared that if you make the technology bring better , you help theNSAmisuse it more , ” he added . “ I ’d be more disquieted about that than about autonomous cause of death automaton . "
With every raw engineering that comes out , there ’s always going to be the possibility that someone will maltreat it in the name of wrong - doing . But are the risk of abusing robotic friend just too severe for humanity ’s freedom ?
[ ViaThe Guardian ]
