The Future of Artificial Intelligence
“The Future of Artificial Intelligence”
– the Lemmino channel, YouTube
Fritz Lang’s silent masterpiece Metropolis (1927) is revered by film buffs and science fiction fans alike. Its portrayal of a thoroughly automated future, in which man is dwarfed by his mechanical and technological creations, seems closer and closer to becoming a reality in the ever more digitally dominated age in which we find ourselves today.
Whereas Lang’s robots and spacecraft are dazzling by virtue of their sleek and streamlined design, however, the future towards which we are heading today – while also promising ever sleeker designs for the myriad gadgets and machines which are still in the offing – is promising the most breathtaking breakthroughs in the field of Artificial Intelligence. In other words, today’s technology – as well as tomorrow’s – seems to be based as much on the development of intelligence as on the material objects powered by same.
Interestingly enough, it may be cloud computing – and all the permutations that are at present being developed and honed on the popularly used Google Cloud – that is the best indication of what is to come. The cloud is nothing if not a formidable example of AI, pointing the way towards a future in which the real worth of our many devices and appliances lies not so much in their strictly material properties as in their capacity to perform as part of a network. Google Home is an early version and portent of things to come in its ability to link together disparate household appliances/devices into a whole that automates everyday domestic chores.
Transportation is another field whose hitherto independent parts are being networked into a whole. The automobile, as are all vehicles, vessels and aircraft, is dangerous insofar as its operation is left to the devices – and imperfections – of human beings. Google and a steadily growing number of automobile manufacturers have accepted the driver-less vehicle as an idea whose time has come, and will soon be making and selling these automata as an alternative to today’s human-operated versions. Once again, it is the focus on intelligence over matter that is at work here. after all, mightn’t a traffic control system that was based on artificial intelligence – one that is smart enough to simulate human ingenuity and problem-solving abilities – be preferable to one that relies exclusively on the skill and sobriety of individual human drivers and pilots?
The makers of this extraordinary video (see link below) point out an important fact: by focusing on what our automata will look like rather than on the big picture – acknowledging artificial intelligence as the very DNA of our future survival mode – we may be missing the point. The creators of this compelling documentary make an excellent point at the beginning of the video: “ Building a robot in pursuit of A.I. is a bit like constructing the chassis of a car before the internal combustion engine was even invented.”
It’s time to embrace a future based on intelligence.
Enjoy!