SXSW robots are clunky, but watch out for AI advances
Researchers warn of tech in wrong hands
Here’s the bottom line on robots and artificial intelligence.
Don’t be too concerned about the rise of humanoid robots, because they’re not ready for prime time. But you might want to keep a wary eye on the machine-learning systems that power them. Researchers are concerned that in the wrong hands, AI could ease the return of fascism.
SXSW Interactive spotlighted AI as the technology’s presence is increasingly noticed in smartphones, cars and home devices.
Attendees at the Texas tech confab — which runs through Sunday — got a close look at how hard it is to program a sentient robot and how dangerous it may be to trust them.
Osaka University roboticist Hiroshi Ishiguro brought two robots, one that looked like C-3PO on an extreme diet and a female android whose unyielding creepiness couldn’t be erased if she had belted out a Lady Gaga tune.
The two robots were supposed to enter into a dialogue, but minutes of dead air passed. A dozen men with laptops frantically worked to get the system online.
A robot conversation started about whether sushi is better than ramen. Creepy android robot said, “Sushi is better for dating,” presumably because the diner is not rudely slurping. The other robot wondered whether ramen is healthy.
Another AI-related lecture suggested the power of machines could be something to fear — because they’re run by humans.
In her talk, “Dark Days: AI and the Rise of Fascism,” Microsoft Research scholar Kate Crawford detailed how data have been misused by the powerful through history. Crawford said revelations in health and science could come from AI, but she worries about the human biases inherent in such machines.
“What these dark days do is challenge us to be prepared,” she said. “Done right, AI can be used to keep power structures in check. But in the wrong hands…”