They make it feel like science fiction! Researchers in the field of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence frequently predict advancements that we have all seen in Science Fiction movies:

Hugo de Garis proposed that artificial brains would eventually exceed human intelligence by far and be able to answer “big questions of cosmic significance” (de Garis, 1996, as cited in Moon, 2007). Wasn’t Deep Thought (Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, 1978) similar build to answer the big question “about life, the universe, and everything”? What if Dr. Raymond Kurzweil is correct, and by the year 2045 machines of superhuman intelligence grow tired of being under our control (2009, as cited in Markoff, 2009)? I hope The Matrix (1999) doesn’t put any dangerous ideas in their minds!

Okay, even to me that all seems a little far-fetched, but what exactly is it that scientists hope to accomplish by attempting to build intelligent, conscious machines? Critical voices whisper that scientists are trying to create conscious machines only to feel a god-like power over them as their creators; but, looking at the research that is conducted, many applications for intelligent machines can be found.

From what I have read, I understand that the bridging of the semantic gap and the development of intelligent machines brings with it many handy applications such as advanced data labeling, retrieval, and analysis. Robots trained to carry out tasks of humans can be used under conditions that are too extreme for humans – or too dangerous, as, for example, centers or warfare. But it doesn’t seem like all of these tasks require computers with a consciousness and near-human intellect.

According to IBM manager Dharmendra Modha, developers of artificial intelligence “hope [...] that by incorporating many of the ingredients that neuroscientists think may be important to cognition in the brain […], [they] may be able to use the model as a tool to help understand how the brain produces cognition” (2008, as cited in Fish, 2009). This goal is similar to those stated for projects that might otherwise seem like they are done just for personal amusement: The design of robots that can play music, produce art, or communicate verbally with humans is, supposedly, done so that we might gain a better understanding of how humans perform this task.

But doesn’t this make the development of intelligent machines into a chicken-and-egg problem? Scientists are attempting to construct a model in order to gain better understanding of the human brain – but in order to construct these models in the first place, we are required to understand how the human brain works. Not quite though.

What seems to make the development of conscious machines worthwhile for such a big array of researchers is not the ultimate product, machines that are conscious, but rather what they can learn from the process of building these machines. By comparing the, for example verbal, abilities of machines with artificial intelligence to those of a real human speaker, scientists are able to check how closely they have managed to assimilate the machine to the human.

When consequently researching for what would make their devices more similar to the human brain, developers of artificial intelligence aid us in understanding how or own minds work. And they develop applications such as visual data retrieval, speech recognition and computer-aided learning that can aid us in everyday life of the digital age!

References:

Fish, G. (2009, November 20). Will a Computer's conscious mind emerge?. Discovery News, Retrieved from http://news.discovery.com/tech/computer-conscious-mind-emerge.html

Markhoff, J. (2009, May 23). The Coming Superbrain. The New York Times, Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/weekinreview/24markoff.html?_r=1

 Moon, P. (2007, May 07). Ai will surpass human intelligence after 2020. Computerworld - The Voice of IT Management, Retrieved from http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/184070/ai_will_surpass_human_int...