Matrix is bull-crap!
Let me just get to the point. Machines will never take over the world and chimeras won't ever eat the human race away. Just like Mumbai will never submerge due to melting glaciers and cloning will not be the only way to reproduce because gay marriages will be legalised!!!
The biggest flaw of AI being a threat to humans is the presence of 'intelligence' in AI. One trait of modernity is condemnation of the human race for all the wrong thats done by us. We are no longer children of God. But the reason we go wrong so many times is that we know there exists a right! We don't really go wrong but we 'realize' we've been wrong. And thats because we are an intelligent species (no pun intended).
Humans are the least violent of all animals. True, the planet has never seen a world war sponsored by another species but if you observe more closely human beings, generally, don't like to fight. Animals kill for territory, mate and sometimes for no apparent reason. With humans, that is the last resort and for much complicated reasons in the present phase of civilization.
If you find it hard to believe then try to think about the reason behind this peaceful nature I claim we possess. Animals, except us, are majorly guided by instinct. As far as we know, their limited memory span doesn't really allow them to draw logical conclusions in life. When confronted with adversity, they fight or run, literally. Humans obviously face different types of adversities but more often then not, they try to find a logical way. We tell ourselves that it was a one-sided affair and it wasn't meant to be instead of ramming our head into the head of our contender. And thats not instinct, thats intelligent logical thinking.
Life created to create more of it. Animals know just that. We don't accept it. We give it a purpose ourselves. Thats why when we soon manage to make a robot that thinks even better than humans, it will know that fighting is not right. It won't be a power hungry computer with some identity crisis. It can't be. And no lunatic can make such a machine because we still don't know the origins and nature of instinct. And as far a a sense of self is concerned, people are hardly aware of it so tough chance make an 'I' robot.
Therefore, matrix will never be created (unless it already is! Hehe). Machines will be used for all sorts of purposes but without a mind of their own.
posted by spriha @ 26.3.07
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