Implications of computers that can learn

The wonderful and terrifying implications of computers that can learn [ TED Talk ] by Jeremy Howard What happens when we teach a computer how to learn? Technologist Jeremy Howard shares some surprising new developments in the fast-moving field of deep learning, a technique that can give computers the ability to learn Chinese, or to recognize objects in photos, or to help think through a medical diagnosis. (One deep learning tool, after watching hours of YouTube, taught itself the concept of "cats.") Get caught up on a field that will change the way the computers around you behave ... sooner than you probably think. What happens when our computers get smarter than we are? [ TED Talk ] by Nick Bostrom Artificial intelligence is getting smarter by leaps and bounds -- within this century, research suggests, a computer AI could be as "smart" as a human being. And then, says Nick Bostrom, it will overtake us: "Machine intelligence is the last invention that humanity will ever need to make." A philosopher and technologist, Bostrom asks us to think hard about the world we're building right now, driven by thinking machines. Will our smart machines help to preserve humanity and our values -- or will they have values of their own? Can we build AI without losing control over it? [ TED Talk ] by Sam Harris Scared of superintelligent AI? You should be, says neuroscientist and philosopher Sam Harris -- and not just in some theoretical way. We're going to build superhuman machines, says Harris, but we haven't yet grappled with the problems associated with creating something that may treat us the way we treat ants. Dialogue with Sophia, the robot ; via BBC Future Sophia is one of the world’s most sophisticated humanoid robots. As she chats with people, she emulates sadness, anger, curiousity, happiness, and other social cues, thanks to a life-like face made of a delightfully-named material called frubber (“flesh rubber”). Her designers at Hanson Robotics say her appearance was inspired by Audrey Hepburn. BBC television presenter Michael Mosley sat down with Sophia and peppered her with a series of prepared questions, eliciting answers on everything from the jokes she knows to her opinion of humanity’s best and worst traits. In this interview, she’s not using artificial intelligence – her answers are scripted – but the interaction gives a compelling insight into how we might interact with humanoids like her in the future, and the emotions they might elicit in ourselves. Sophia is featuring as a ‘spokesperson’ for BBC Earth TV’s Being Human season.