A Pentagon-funded team of scientists have
constructed a machine that functions like a human brain and would enable
robots to think independently and act autonomously.
Image: YouTube
Researchers for DARPA (Defense Advanced
Research Projects Agency) have created a device that “looks and ‘thinks’ like
a human brain,” James K. Gimzewski, professor of chemistry at the University
of California, Los Angeles, told National Defense Magazine.
The program is called “physical intelligence”
and is capable, “without being programmed like a traditional robot, of
performing actions similar to humans,” making it the first incarnation of a
robot that can perform “truly autonomously” without human input.
“What sets this new device apart from any
others is that it has nano-scale interconnected wires that perform billions
of connections like a human brain, and is capable of remembering
information,” writes Sandra I. Erwin. “Each connection is a synthetic
synapse. A synapse is what allows a neuron to pass an electric or chemical
signal to another cell. Because its structure is so complex, most artificial
intelligence projects so far have been unable to replicate it.”
The technology would allow drones to be
created that do not need human operators, machines that would be able to
learn and navigate through terrain completely of their own accord.
According to Erwin, it is not yet confirmed
whether the Pentagon will look to apply the technology to weapons systems.
However, given the fact that the vast majority
of DARPA’s work in robotics is geared towards creating an army of battlefield
soldiers, it’s not a huge leap to make.
Numerous experts have warned that robots
currently being developed in the name of humanitarian assistance will
ultimately be used to kill enemy soldiers and accused terrorists.
Noel Sharkey, professor of artificial intelligence
and robotics at the University of Sheffield, has repeatedly warned that the
robots currently being developed under the auspices of DARPA will eventually
be used to kill.
“Of course if it’s used for combat, it would
be killing civilians as well as it’s not going to be able to discriminate
between civilians and soldiers,” said Sharkey.
Last month, award-winning military writer and
former intelligence officer Lt. Col. Douglas Pryer also wrote an essay
warning of the threat posed by remorseless “killer robots” that will be used
to stalk and slaughter human targets in the near future.
In a 50-page report published last year, Human
Rights Watch also warned that artificially intelligent robots let loose on
the battlefield would inevitably commit war crimes.
Last year, experts at the prestigious
University of Cambridge announced a project to conduct research into the
“extinction-level risks” posed to humanity by artificially intelligent
robots.
Flying drones that communicate with each other
are also being developed for “hunting terrorists” and other “homeland
security” purposes, as well as UAVs that could one day snatch humans off the
street.
The fact that DARPA’s latest robotic creation
looks human is also not going to do anything to dampen fears about the “rise
of the machines”.
http://www.infowars.com/pentagon-to-build-robots-with-real-brains/
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