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HAL turned on its human creators. The Terminator was from a hopeless, mechanical future made by man. As advancements in artificial intelligence make robotics and computers a part of the everyday human experience, there are ethical issues that come to light.
Artificial intelligence can certainly have its positive factors. For instance, robots have been programmed to work in nursing homes. They function as medicine aides who deliver medication and even instruct and supervise the patient who takes the pills. These same robots can help a person ambulate and they can even play games. The growing shortage in good nursing help creates a crisis as the large population of Baby Boomers moves into old age. A robot may ultimately be the only solution. The question is whether the loss of human interaction will be detrimental. There are reports of Japanese children who mourn when the family artificial intelligence machine breaks down.
Another ethical concern within the artificial intelligence community is war technology. The loss of human life could be greatly reduced if robots were throwing the grenades. The accuracy of the strike would also improve. But what if these systems had a software failure and turned on their creators? No one really knows if HAL and the Terminator are just fictional pass times or fictional allegories.
Researchers and scientists in the forefront of artificial intelligence advancements liken the creation of these machines to raising a child. It’s up to the “parent” to instill good things in the new “life” and make sure that it does what’s right instead of what’s wrong. However, we all know that even the best laid plans can’t guarantee the “parent” won’t be disappointed.
Artificial intelligence technology still has to fully grasp the human experience in a way that can be duplicated. Some programs encourage people to interact with the AI so that it can learn and mimic the real human process. Ultimately, are humans that predictable?
