Can robots do what humans can? To be frank I'm not sure that they will be able to for a long, long time. Robots can act with strength, precision, and speed far superior to any person. However, the computers that power them are in no way equal to the complexity and advancement of the human brain. In "Should We Put Robots on Trial?", the idea was floated that, since a robot or machine can act independently from its creator and essentially without a moral compass, we should not hold its creator(s) responsible for its actions. When you think about it... how would you even go about programming or teaching a machine to have feelings? a moral compass? Any of about 1000 other states that are crucial in separating what is human from what is not? Until this core issue can be resolved I believe that robots will not be able to act in a way even remotely near human.
That being said, there are some instances where robots absolutely outclass people. Jobs such as precision welding, bomb diffusal, and even stock trading. Machines excel at these jobs because they can act much more quickly and accurately than a person, allowing them to make exponentially less errors. It is noteworthy, however, that if the circumstances deviate even slightly from what the robot knows how to handle, it will quickly become essentially useless - and this can have catastrophic consequences.
In the article "Driverless Cars Get California License", it was revealed that automated vehicles are currently being developed for civilian use. I think that a car of this fashion could be much safer than a traditional one; however I'd still prefer to drive a normal car so that I have complete control over my travels.
No comments:
Post a Comment