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Week 8 [15.05-21.05.2017] – Artificial Intelligence

Recently, I talked to my friend, who is professionaly involved in working with Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning, about world future. He is convinced, that many jobs currently undone by people will be taken by machines. At the beggining I was dubious, but after some research I am not so sure, that Artificial Intelligence revolution is tens of years  away from us. Take a look at this TED presentation about artificial intelligence:
https://www.ted.com/talks/maurice_conti_the_incredible_inventions_of_intuitive_ai

As I recall, news about AI development are quite often in my RSS feeds. Maybe it is because most of my news feeds are about technology. On the other hand, I am signed up for other branches of technology RSS's and they are not even half as active as AI news feeds. Take a look at some examples:
1. Computers are already as good (if not better) as humans in games like the chess or go. Deep Blue computer recently defeated best human player in go.
2. Companies like Uber/Amazon/Google/Apple/Tesla are competing in field of self driving cars. And they are not making "baby steps" in this fields: they already have tests on the streets:
https://waymo.com/ontheroad/
3. Other companies are not limiting themselves to just cars:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVlhMGQgDkY
4. There are already voices saying that AI might heavily support, or even replace (!) work of doctors and lawyers:
https://hbr.org/2016/10/robots-will-replace-doctors-lawyers-and-other-professionals

I think that Maurice has some pretty good points. We are at the beggining of new era of humanity. Most of us is already "augmented" as he tells in his presentation, we use our personal devices to keep up with surrounding world.
What do you think about this presentation? Maybe you already have been working with AI? What are your high hopes in term of AI development? I personally would like to see AI in medical diagnostics. I know it brings up some concers as to who will be responsible for diagnosis, however if computer diagnosis would have to be verified by doctors, maybe it is the way to introduce computers into helathcare?


Comments

Unknown said…
Fact is that machines replace people. I think that machines can't replace all jobs. It's a lot of time until we will make artificial intelligence. The biggest problem is to make awareness. Soon you will be able to buy autonomic car. I would like to know how it will work.
Machines work according to schemes but people can think about future and create.
I think that we will never make a perfect machine.
Very interesting presentation, I really like the example of Airbus. It shows that the wide use of AI in an increasing number of areas is just around the corner and that it already has a number of applications. You’re completely right that there are still more and more news about AI development nowadays, I also noticed that trend. Well, probably many of us did, as AI is spreading across many different sectors.
From the perspective of an IT guy, I place a great hope in the development of AI, since it may help us solve many problems and make our life easier. On the other hand, from a purely human point of view, I still have some concerns. I’m afraid that if we build true AI, it will quickly conclude that people are the biggest threat to world peace, the whole ecosystem etc. and we will lose control over it. I know it’s a nightmare scenario, but taking into account possible effects, we should certainly be very careful and must take into consideration the degree of such threats.
Following the examples provided, Boston Dynamics (the company mentioned in the point 3.) has recently created another robot called Handle, which has also impressive capabilities (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7xvqQeoA8c).
Unknown said…
I am not that sure, that we will be able to know how such machines work. In case of AI networks, people do not alway know how those machines work:
https://qz.com/865357/we-dont-understand-how-ai-make-most-decisions-so-now-algorithms-are-explaining-themselves/
Unknown said…
Oh yes, those Boston Dynamics robots are awesome. I wonder how they program them. I suppose its some advanced Neural Network properly trained. As to destroying humanity:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6u7EhM-bW4
Russians seem to be quite advanced in this matter.
I wonder what Americans and the Chineese hide in their garages.
Unknown said…
I like the AI and I believe that there is many applications for it - healthcare, helpdesk, home-helper and in administration. It should be controlled, but when you have got some workers you also have to control them, their actions and results of their work.
I know, that many people are afraid of AI and it is strengthened in movies.

It may be spoiler if you haven't seen Ex Machina!

Last one I've seen about is "Ex Machina" - and when you watch it there are questions - what if all robots(AI) are tricky? What if they are better, because they can manipulate feeling without having them for anyone? On the other hand there is "I, Robot", where we sympathize with main robot and we want to see human there - but what if it is not there? Just like in Ex Machina?
There are 3 laws, but what if robots may break them, just like people? What will make them want to do not break those rules? Some punishment? But without feelings of guilt, anger or sorrow it won't be helpful. So what we may do, in the future, to stop them, if they will want to do something against us?
Unknown said…
I can fully agree that AI is much closer than we may think. It's used in many fields of our life. Even those we don't expect. I'm fascinated in algorithms that help to recognize the face. There are two types of such alghorithms:

1. algorithms that recognize a person - it's very useful thing in detecting some dangerous criminals walking along the street, finding lost people (e.g. because of memory illness), but also unlocking devices. There are billions examples of use.

2. algorithms that recognize face and mood - this kind can be used is some apps that help improve a mood if it's bad, customize light or music to the mood etc etc.

To be honest, I think it's really big improvment and helps in daily life. There are much more advantages, but we should about bad side of it.

Firstly, the AI can be programmed to do something devastating. I don't want to talk about software that helps in killing, but the AI can be really dangerous weapon (as every weapon that falls into wrong hands). I think we just should remember about it.

Secondly, the AI can be programmed to do something beneficial, but it will develop a destructive method for achieving its goal. It's probably worst case because it's more difficult to predict such situation.

To sum up, the AI is amazing tool in our hands. It helps in many many fields. Thanks to it, we will be able to do such things that now are considered as impossible, but we should take dangerous cases into consideration.
Unknown said…
That was scary! Luckily scientists still cant reproduce conciousness. Lets hope that by the time they will, they will also learn how to make Ai peaceful
Unknown said…
Yeah, the problem with new technologies is that they eventually end up on battlefield. Lets hope that Ai will be used for security rather then warfare.
Unknown said…
I'm afraid that humans by developing AI are creating something what could easily destroy them in the future. We should fear for artificial intelligence, because we don't know how and when it could turn against us. However, on that film from your link I've felt pity rather for robot than for that man.
Unknown said…
The AI is programmed to do something devastating. Autonomous weapons are artificial intelligence systems that are programmed to kill. In the hands of the wrong person, these weapons could easily cause mass casualties. Moreover, an AI arms race could inadvertently lead to an AI war that also results in mass casualties. To avoid being thwarted by the enemy, these weapons would be designed to be extremely difficult to simply “turn off,” so humans could plausibly lose control of such a situation. This risk is one that’s present even with narrow AI, but grows as levels of AI intelligence and autonomy increase.

The AI is programmed to do something beneficial, but it develops a destructive method for achieving its goal. This can happen whenever we fail to fully align the AI’s goals with ours, which is strikingly difficult. If you ask an obedient intelligent car to take you to the airport as fast as possible, it might get you there chased by helicopters and covered in vomit, doing not what you wanted but literally what you asked for. If a superintelligent system is tasked with a ambitious geoengineering project, it might wreak havoc with our ecosystem as a side effect, and view human attempts to stop it as a threat to be met.
Unknown said…
Oh nouu my intelligent toaster is going to burn my bread to show his revolt!
I don't think we should fear it, we should embrace it, use it, definitely benefit from it.
Unknown said…
Humans need no apply. There is a youtube video on this which I highly recommend although most of you may have already seen it.
There are many issues regarding replacement of human jobs with AI and robots. Depending on the job it may be quite easy or very hard. Computers and primitive AI is already way better than human but in a virtual realm like working with huge amounts of data and analysis in, for example, healthcare sector -> being waaaay more accurate with disease diagnosis than human doctors. Oh, and way faster too.
On the other hand building a robot which is supposed to operate in a physical realm is not as quite easy and humans still perform better in that field (there are some exceptions like with a robot serving coffee). But that is a long term perspective in my opinion.
More interesting is how AI can solve many of our problems operating in the virtual realm. Working with data and algorithms, learning and concluding maginificent things, solutions to global warming, pollution, hunger, healthcare, economy, space travel(?) etc. Truly interesting.
Unknown said…
The problem is that there will always be someone who wants to see what happens if... That is why I think stopping development in any field because of fear is usless.
Unknown said…
I agree with you. Some comments seem to be concerned about "bad" AI, however, I truly believe that development of this field cannot be simply "stopped".
Unknown said…
It's a very interesting presentation, but I'm not very into the subject. Recently I heard a bit about neural networks and it's amazing that the machines will be able to learn and after some time it's possible that they will be able to develop without human intervention. I think it scared us a bit, because we all evoke a vision from the Matrix, where we stop controlling the machines, but on the other hand, whether science fiction films should stop us from developing technology? Of course not! The people who make these solutions I think that they have this in mind. Of course I do not think we should be passive and give all our work to machines, they should only be facilitating our development and a way to make a better life.
Unknown said…
I used to read an article where it was said that future machines would replace people in almost all professions, in addition to those professions where you need to think ie programmer, architect, etc. I watched a movie where the machine built a house in two days. They are testing trucks where they do not need drivers. Besides, the second line of the metro in Warsaw goes by itself, which is true in the middle of man but only for control. It is all amazing and terrible...
Very interesting presentation and really great topic to discuss. There is more and more jobs that actually people can be replaced by robots with AI applied. Actually it is happening already. In my opinion AI is a great invention, but needs to be controlled. If it goes beyond our control it can become a real danger for us. It's a big improvement and it makes our lifes more convenient, but we have to remember that something always can go wrong, and it is better to be prepared.
This comment has been removed by the author.
Artificial intelligence is the branch, which in my opinion is developing with great success for quite a long time. Many factories in China replace human labor, and that's fine , I don't think that robots can replace absolutely all professions , I think that using robots to automate routine work, leaving humanity to strive for a more creative profession. The most important thing is balance, if you remember the legendary film "Terminator 2", the line between robots and robots-it's awful, it's very close.
Ihor Ahnianikov said…
Thanks for an interesting topic. Personally I always imagined AI as something more advanced, something that can make complex decisions on it's own and currently I don't see it happening - but maybe because I don't regularly check what happens in the world of medicine and other industries where AI is already used. I regularly check tech news and devices like Google Home or Amazon Echo, which are claimed to be AI don't seem like it, but I guess we have to start somewhere.

I really hope that doctors will be replaced with AI because the most of doctors are not engineers, they perform some empirical actions like taking some input (symptoms, health tests) and provide an output (diagnosis and treatment suggestions). I'm sure that properly trained AI would make less mistakes because it's hard for a human to remember everything, even related to a single disease which may have a thousand factors deciding about a treatment.
Unknown said…
I don't think its terrible, we already are using robots and they might nie taking humans koba, but on the other hand they generate new workplaces.
Unknown said…
Yes, data model quality os basing on all avialable data, doctor cannot do that.
Anonymous said…
I have seen many movies about AI and it scares me pretty much. I know it's fiction and no one knows how our life could become with AI, but I know that it could be dangerous if gets out of control.
People now have a dilemma if we even should try to create machine which behaves and feels like human. I mean - human is the only one who thinks, has feelings, sense of art, sense of humor and so on. Should we try to change it? Will it come out for good for us?
Bartosz Łyżwa said…
In my opinion it's "natural" that machines are replacing people in many cases. I don't know if it's better or rather not but I'm sure those are faster, more effective, faultless etc. Of course there are proffesions where people are irreplaceable in it. I don't think so it could be dangerous for us if general purpose of creating machines is to help people.
I find Artificial Intelligence really amusing, it’s really hard for me to imagine how it’s all possible. Probably it’s the reason some people are skeptical about it. The movies in which AI gains control and destroy humanity, are also the reason why so many people doesn’t like the idea of Artificial Intelligence.

Unknown said…
The title of this article sounds terrifying :)
You are right, maybe one day somebody will create an AI, that will hack all banks and destroy all governments... But I hope that somebody else will come up with some protector AI before that happen.
Vyvyan said…
Do we want to work? NO. Consider this: worker on a construction site is in danger each and every day, while you are sitting in saafe room and writing programms on computer. Robots should an will replace people in work. Especially in dangerous work.Truth is we are lazy. Very lazy. We don't want to work and we like when things "do themselves". So that would mean that robots replacing people in work might allow us to change current system. We might be able to advance past capitalysm, and become better living beengs. Of course there will have to be people that will know how to repair these robots in case of some problems. But we have to remember this. No one is irreplaceble. We can all be replaced.
Michał Pycek said…
To me it is very obvious that machines have become such a meaningful part of our lives. We use computers everywhere, from very small and easy tasks to very complex, complicated and responsible ones, and why so? Simply because we look for a way to create something to make things faster, more accurate, more effective, more efficient and so on. It is a simple result of our technological development and in my opinion well programmed AI is a matter of time.
Wojtek Kania said…
I think that Artificial Intelligence is amazing tool, but it will be always only a tool. For example in finance we can create program that will analyze stock charts and will invest our money. This program can make a mistake that will cost us a huge amount of money, because program can analyze only technical part, but will not have any fundamental knowledge. But program might be amazing tool for investor who has fundamental knowledge and has experience.
This comment has been removed by the author.
Magdalena Popek said…

Artificial intelligence is one of the most interesting, and dangerous at the same time, fields in IT. We are heading towards the moment we are no longer needed here. We teach robots to write computer programmes so in near future they can program other robots and teach them the same. Self-service cash registers, automated factories. Robots will not make human mistakes, will not get sick nor will have to take week-off to take care of an ill child. We are heading the future in which just a few men will have a job. Others will be replaced with robots.
On the other hand AI is a field that can change our lives 180 degrees. In, as you said, e.g. medicine. As I said before, robots will not make human mistakes and their databases may contain much more symptoms and diseases than doctors' brains, so there is no way robot will know nothing about a patient's illness. In my opinion it's a great idea but needs years of tests so it's really reliable and safe.
Always when I hear about AI, it comes to my mind a movie I watched as a kid. It was the first Terminator. But coming back to the topic. I think AI will/is be wery helpful at the beginning of it development. But more advanced it will get, the more dangerous it will be for humankind. If the AI will be based on human nature, there is a chance it would start to be imperious, and would try to take control above us. But maybe I'm to pessimistic about it, and maybe I watched to many SCIFI movies :)
AI is a future for humanity. Like you said, AI could be a big help for doctors to give them at least initial diagnosis for the patient, show them rare diseases which are possible in case of that patient. If you are using smartphone you have access to AI all the time like siri in iphone or google assistant or cortana a microsoft assistant. They are rather helpful, they can't do anything really demanding or complex but for simpler task they are doing really good job, at this is only the begging for the AI, in coming years with rising power of computers we can be sure that AI will be capable of doing much more than now.
KamilG said…
I've watched "Ex Machina" and after the end I was wondering for long time about AI. As Paulina said - what if robots will backfired us?
The second matter mentioned in this discussion is using AI in a wrong way, to kill, to destroy, to control people, teritories by force. I think until we won't produce self conscious robots, AI is very useful, because it allows to do many things faster.
The example would be helping doctors in diagnosis. it's obvious that human mind, even after many years of experience and studies, isn't able to memorize so much informations as computer. Thanks to AI we would be able to classify even rare illnesses, basing on whole accesible informations about all possible diseases.
Unknown said…
AI is a very controversial subject, there was dozens of movies wherein robots went out of control and destroy humanity. Of course there are some good points, like you said the example with medicine and the bad ones like the computer program which can recognize human faces from cameras. I don't really like it because it affect on our privacy.
Unknown said…
I think AI will be very useful in medicine. Ability to store all the information we have in one mind which can analyze it is incredible. Person's mind can't produce such results as artificial mind can. But all those results and works by AI should be double checked by people. Also, I think chemical industry can be great for AI integration. A lot of possibilities, a lot of undiscovered information. In every industry is a place where AI can be very useful and helpful.
Unknown said…
Artificial Inteligenet may help in the future resolve some important problem which we cant resolve now and will create our world better and more safety then now. I created some simple Artificial inteligents but only in school. We also have to take care to dont create some very strong AI which can destroy our society and take power on our earth. In medicine i think AI will be very helpful because can see things which our eyes dont see and help our doctors make right desicion about how heal their patients.
Adam Paśniczek said…
From what I know Artificial Intelligence is slowly being used on a mass scale in factories. It is very interesting topic because the human force is no longer necessary to work like a robots. What is repeated many times can be removed by machines. For example in China many companies invest in such technology because it is cheaper than people and a lot of better. I realize that many of them will be out of work but this progress is necessary. It is the same like with “ industrial revolution” in 19th century. We are leaving in interesting times.
The same thing is in the others industries. There is a lot of jobs that could be removed and replaced by AI.
Unknown said…
Artificial intelligence is a pretty scary concept. And I don't think that just because of all the ways media like movies or comics like to portray it, it's actually scary. As much as there's great potential in use of limited AI in medicine, traffic and flight control and many, many other tasks, an unlimited artificial intelligence would be pretty much like meeting aliens. We would have no idea how it thinks or what it wants.
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