It seems as if everyday news comes out about technological advancements, be it in medicine, energy sources or as recently seen in videos published by the scientific team Boston Dynamics, showing robots able to open doors without human interference and jump three stories high. While mildly amusing and intriguing to many, these robots hint at something much more nefarious than just YouTube videos. Though it may seem a thing only present in sci-fi movies, these robots created by Boston Dynamics and similar companies hint at a dystopian future where man may have to come face to face with their own creation in the battle for dominance.
The last couple of years have seen numerous news stories surrounding amazing advancements in our technology such as the well-known Sophia the robot, who was even showcased on the “Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,” as well as in virtual reality with Microsoft’s Mixed Reality which eased the idea of virtual reality becoming more practical. While it would be unreasonable to not be excited for these great advancements in our world there needs to be some caution. If we become blinded by the the incredible nature of these new technologies we could potentially miss the warning signs that could lead to humanity’s untimely demise, especially when talking about artificial intelligence and robots. We see it all the time: humanity becomes careless in its pursuit of creating bigger and better robots, and in an blink of an eye they’re fighting murderous machines bent on the end of humanity. Many people see this only as an overdone plot-line for science fiction movies and never consider that it could actually come true.
Although the world may never go to the extremes of having an all out war with robots like in “The Terminator,” it’s going to be vital in the coming years to pay very close attention to how we develop and treat these man made creations. With enough regulation and supervision, humanity can welcome these robots with open arms as friends with the shared goal of bettering each other. However, should we become careless, we might as well stamped our own expiration date and accepted eternal servitude to our new metal overloads.
This isn’t to say that people have to start preparing their bunkers every time news about a more intelligent robot or artificial intelligence comes over the news. Almost every advancement in our technology will help us in some way, whether it it be in education, medicine, transportation or just our general well-being. They could be the thing that will finally launch us into the stars and prosperity.
But we must remain cautiously optimistic throughout this new age, where technologies from our wildest dreams our becoming reality everyday. Otherwise, “The Terminator” won’t just be a fun sci-fi to watch, but our near future.
Photo by Benjamin Milgram
