While we’re on the topic of fear, there’s nothing that gets the amygdala racing like killer robots that could turn their artificial intelligence (and evil robot weapons) against their human inventors.
Less dramatically, there are also robots that can steal your job.
Both of those scenarios are making huge advancements. Right now.
Earlier this month, the theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking offered this warning about rapid developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI):
“One can imagine such technology outsmarting financial markets, out-inventing human researchers, out-manipulating human leaders, and developing weapons we cannot even understand,” Hawking wrote. “Whereas the short-term impact of AI depends on who controls it, the long-term impact depends on whether it can be controlled at all.”
As for the job-stealing robots, they’ll soon be replacing a surprising number of humans:
Accountants. Real estate agents. Commercial pilots. Waiters. Nurses. Journalists.
Here’s what Bill Gates says about that:
“Technology over time will reduce demand for jobs, particularly at the lower end of skill set. Twenty years from now, labor demand for lots of skill sets will be substantially lower. I don’t think people have that in their mental model."