Robots are surrounding us, but humanity shouldn't be afraid... yet

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jan/08/robots-surrounding-humanity-be-afraid

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Public fears about robots taking our jobs and rising up against humanity are understandable but unfounded, not least because we are already surrounded by them.

That’s according to three experts in robotics, drones and autonomous cars speaking at CES in Las Vegas, responding to fears expressed about robotics and artificial intelligence [AI] by Tesla and SpaceX boss Elon Musk, as well as familiar killer-robot tropes from science fiction.

The reality is much more mundane. “We’re already surrounded by robots – our dishwashers, washing machines and driers,” said Chris Anderson, chief executive of US drones firm 3D Robotics. “I like to think that robots are only things that don’t work right, because a vacuum is a vacuum not robot.”

BMW’s head of driver assistance and perception Dr Werner Huber explained that many of the cars currently on our roads are also robots, of a sort.

“We have been using robotic elements for many years to save lives in driving assistance, to intervene in critical situations and avoid accidents,” said Huber. “In fact, 90% of accidents are caused by humans, so you shouldn’t be afraid of the robots, but other drivers.”

Paolo Pirjanian, chief technology officer at home-robot maker iRobot, noted that for now robots can only be as lethal as programmed by the humans that made them, or directed by the humans that control them.

“Any technology can be abused by humans – so robotics isn’t special in this respect. A knife was designed with a handle so you don’t cut yourself, but someone can take that knife and stab you, robots are no different,” said Pirjanian.

“We are far away from robots being able to take over the world. There are decades if not centuries till we get to that stage.”

Anderson tackled fears about drones – unmanned aerial vehicles [UAVs] – suggesting that as more uses emerge beyond military purposes, those fears will ebb away.

“Many people still think of drones as dealing death from above. People are understandably concerned, but when someone comes with a drone that’s the size of a hand, then the fear is extinguished,” said Anderson. “GPS was once a missile guidance thing, but now it guides our cars.”

The most pressing concern about robot is less about losing lives, and more about losing jobs: robots replacing humans as automation becomes more cost-effective for businesses of various kinds.

Pirjanian dismissed these fears too, though. “When computers took off there was worry that they were going to take over our jobs, but the opposite happened. Jobs were created by computers. The same thing will happen with robots, they will help us grow our economy,” he said.

Finally, the panel discussed the challenges advances in robotics and drones are posiing for governments and regulators, as they try to ensure legislation keeps up.

“Drones have gone from military applications to the shelves of Walmart in three years leaving regulation way behind. The irony is that my daughter can fly these things, but a professional cannot,” said Anderson, referring to the US ban on commercial use of drones.

“Of course, as robots get easier to use, the savvy of our users decreases and they may not know how to use them safely. There is definitely work to be done in this respect.”

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