Artificial Intelligence

Our discussion last Wednesday in class about Artificial Intelligence was really interesting and got me thinking more about this incredible technology. I had the Furby toys when I was a child, and what I loved about them was that they had quite a bit of "life" in them. They were so animated and interactive, which really gave the feeling that they actually had real personalities, when really they were just fake animatronic devices!

It is somewhat frightening to see how far we have come technology-wise in the past few decades in regards to animatronics and artificial intelligence. It seems as though every few years, toy companies and even major corporations such as Honda come out with a newer and better form of artificial intelligence.

A few years ago, I went to Disneyland in Anaheim and was lucky enough to witness an actual appearance of Honda's robot named ASIMO. I was stunned and amazed when I saw ASIMO. It walks, talks, features voice and face recognition, and can even walk up stairs accurately without falling. I really do think that robots are the wave of the future. There has been great talk of these robots one day being able to take care of and look after elderly people and also to provide companionship for those with dementia, Alzheimer's disease, disabilities, etc.

I think that AI can be helpful in advancing society and helping people. However, I do think that AI could possibly in the long-run replace humans in the work force for certain tasks. This could pose a huge problem in the job market. Luckily, I doubt that this problem will occur in any of our lifetimes since there still needs to be a lot of work done in the robotics industry.

Below is a video of ASIMO. I think that (he, she, whatever it is) is absolutely adorable. It seems really friendly, fun, and I would love to have ASIMO live in my house and help out with chores! And dance, too. Now THAT would be awesome!

Here is another video of a shockingly realistic human-like android created in Japan: