Physics of the Impossible

Physics of the Impossible

a) Outline the main ideas presented in Kaku's text

The text presents a lot of opinions and thoughts about the subject artificial intelligence and how it is connected to humanity. Basically the discussion throughout the text is if robots can think and overrule humans. The main conflict is that robots can't master the true semantics of a language. They are able to talk the language, but they don't understand it, just like their lack of pattern recognition and common sense. They see a lot better than us and they may be a lot smarter, but they can't make sense of what they see, and they don't know how to act in the real world. Some scientists say that robots aren't able to feel emotions, which, according to the text, has been suggested to be the highest quality of humans. The computer expert Hans Morvec believes that robots will be able to feel some emotions such as fear. The solution for this problem might be to merge carbon, which is what humans mainly consist of, and silicon, which is what the robots consists of.

b) Comment on at least two predictions about the future of A.I technology as presented in the text. Illustrate your answer with examples from the text

One of the predictions in the text is that robots will surpass humans in reasoning. I don't think this is ever going to happen. As mentioned in the text robots lack pattern recognition and common sense . These to qualities are very essential when you want to fit in to the society. Just take disabled humans. They don't have common sense and don't learn from their mistakes, they don't develop. Robots won't develop either, they will remain they way they are programmed from the beginning, unless someone re-programme them. It is also mentioned that robots can't master the semantic. They can talk our language but they don't understand a word of what they are saying . The text gives an example; place a human and a robot in two different rooms and address different questions for both. If you can't tell the difference the robots will be considered humans . No robot has ever passed this test, maybe they will in the future, but I don't think this breakthrough is near. The robots are dependent on humans and will, in my opinion, never be able to overrule humans in intelligence. When i say intelligence I don't mean like multiplying, because on that point they are way ahead of humans, but when it comes to being cunning and making things make sense robots are lost.

Some scientists suggest that merging carbon and silicon is the solution . I am not a scientist, and that may be the issue, but I can't se logic in doing that. How can you mix the two bases from humans and robots and then have a result of immortality? I guess you have to be a scientist to see the