Download Alex Cormier - Chief Delphi

Cormier 1
Alex Cormier
Mr.Tillett
English 12
7 January 2005
Artificial Intelligence: A Pathway Into the Future
With all the different things in the world that change day by day, one can encounter
positive and negative changes. Due to the fact of breakthroughs in Artificial Intelligence (AI),
the affect on the job world and how National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
contributes to the growth and positive reflection of Artificial Intelligence, it seems as though AI
will definitely be a positive change. The future of the Artificial Intelligence is getting stronger
and stronger as each day passes. With the unemployment rates still around 5.5% and decreasing
from previous months, Artificial Intelligence is mostly a negative change on the outlook of the
job market because of the advancement of technology. As NASA is the leading space aviator in
the country, there is no one else fit to gain, boost moral and contribute towards AI. Artificial
Intelligence will be one of the top technological necessities in the near future.
As time, seasons, and technology change, so does the definition of Artificial Intelligence.
“Artificial Intelligence, in light of this definition of intelligence, is simply the application of
artificial or non-naturally occurring systems that use the knowledge-level to achieve goals”
(Newell). The easiest definition to believe is that AI is any machine that relates to a human if it’s
through a program. Artificial Intelligence is “the ability of a computer or other machine to
perform those activities that are normally thought to require intelligence” (Dictionary). Some
machines were and are built to make our lives easier, keep us alive longer and stay healthy.
Cormier 2
“The only everyday ‘robots’ so far are things like car-building machines in Detroit, Sony's Aibo
plastic dog, and mini-moon rovers that crawl through blast sites. Is the definition of the word
robot ‘any machine that adjusts its own behavior according to feedback from its sensors?’ If so,
thermostats, microwave ovens and light-sensitive patio lights are robots, too” (Pogue). With all
the technological advancements everyday, Artificial Intelligence will improve over time.
Artificial Intelligence is not just a machine that not only performs futile activities but can
also provide useful help in law enforcement, construction, cleaning, entertainment and medical
services. The law enforcement type is widely used as a robot that sees and moves into a territory
to capture a video of the suspect or suspects. Another example of AI is used in law enforcement
when police officers get around streets, airports and sidewalks with the newly invented Segway.
With the use of the Segway, “You’re looking out above the crowd, you can see blocks ahead. It’s
like you’re Shaquille O’Neal on wheels” (Mensching). Another type of military AI is
Unmanned Air Vehicles (UAV) which has recently come to the front stage of research. These are
small, lightweight devices that fly without operator control, thereby making them autonomous.
Unmanned Air Vehicles are remotely piloted vehicles and robotic aircraft. They can be
drastically cheaper to develop, build, and use than manned aircraft, which require sophisticated
life support systems.
With Artificial Intelligence being used to enforce laws, why not for construction? The
answer is that it is already being used for construction with the back up of NASA. With multiple
robots attacking one large pile of steel or any material it would be faster then if humans tried
since the robots are stronger, smarter and group relating with all of the other robots.
The Center Load behavior is activated when the force in the gimbal on either of
the rovers exceeds a specified threshold. The corrective procedure, the lead rover
Cormier 3
performs its correction while the follow rover waits. When the lead rover has
completed its correction, the rovers reverse and follow rover performs its
correction. (RCC)
You can’t seem to walk or drive anywhere without at least one person in a hurry. With the right
equipment you now can vacuum your house when you’re on the go and shop at your favorite
mall or sporting goods store. The Roomba is “a 3-inch-tall U.F.O.-like disc about a foot across now in red or blue with black accents - that scuttles across floors and carpets, both sucking up
dust and, with a spinning brush, whisking away bigger chunks of detritus. When it runs into
something, it smartly rotates forty-five degrees and marches off in a different direction” (Pogue).
Now with a robot that is considered Artificial Intelligence cleaning your floors for you while
you’re not at home or near it, if that’s not amazing then what is?
The next big type of breakthrough in Artificial Intelligence is that it’s being used to
entertain humans all over the world. The aggressive progress of technology makes nearly every
game a new beginning. Artificial Intelligence is very dependent on concrete details of the game
environment. AI techniques can be applied to a variety of tasks in modern computer games. A
game using networks to predict the player's next move in order to pre-compute graphics may be
on a high Artificial Intelligence level. Although AI must not always be real, the desire of
Artificial Intelligence in computer games is primarily related to guiding non-player characters to
make the game more entertaining.
Yet another breakthrough in Artificial Intelligence is in the medical field. With a surging
elderly population in many countries throughout the world Artificial Intelligence will rise to
unprecedented levels. “These advocates see robots serving not just as helpers--carrying out
simple chores and reminding patients to take their medication--but also as companions, even if
Cormier 4
the machines can carry on only a semblance of a real dialogue” (Glick). The new addition for the
elderly to live longer, stay healthy and be mobile through the use of robotics. The ideal results
will be a major savings in medical costs, reduced burdens on the family and caretakers. Yasuyuki
Toki, a researcher at NEC System Technologies, thinks emotional attachments to robots must be
studied carefully.
The future of Artificial Intelligence is in the hands of this generation and how it will
impact the world. The world will not be the same in the future as today due to the technology
boom, the creation, and ability to give AI “legal and ethical status to our here-and-now legal
institutions” (Sokis). It has been said many times that by the year 2050 that our way of living and
how we provide meals for holidays will drastically change due to AI. With the advancements of
Artificial Intelligence “We will be sitting down to eat a synthetic turkey, with a robot helping out
to prepare the trimmings” Jane Wakefield of BBC News Online states (Wakefield). There will
also be information systems that will have real-time instructions that will monitor the cooking to
make sure that it will not burn up like your Aunt’s meals every family gathering. By Christmas
day 2050, through Artificial Intelligence, the atmosphere of the holiday will be all about the
presents and nothing about the religious beliefs that surround the day. Some predictions for
future Christmas’s are talking Barbie dolls which are able to respond to their owners and
construction sets where the children will be able to design and build anything they imagine.
With a new technology boom on the way and needed more then ever, it gives AI a great
chance to experiment and develop some very useful and practical ideas for the near future. With
the ability of purchasing groceries, clothes, automobiles and even houses in the luxury of your
own home while wearing only your underwear is simply amazing because of the internet. The
purchasing power of the internet has closely become a routine for many people all over the
Cormier 5
world. “When demand increases in one place, its consequences can be felt efficiently, and
immediately, elsewhere. Wal-Mart led the way with its long-ago deal with Proctor & Gamble
automating shelf replenishment, but now that is also routine” (Kirkpatrick). The development of
a program to distinguish what products need re-ordering and what products are expiring is
impressive.
Technology is not always a positive according to some people. As Mr. Heberling, a
teacher at the local Webster Thomas High School and the head of the Science Olympiad team,
has stated, there a few negatives possibilities of Artificial Intelligence. In the interview with Mr.
Heberling, I asked him how he saw AI in the future for himself. He responded, “A bad thing,
because humans could eventually have the ability to lose control of the robot, whether they
reason or not.” Mr. Heberling is not the only person who sees the advancement of Artificial
Intelligence a negative issue. Another question asked to Mr. Heberling was, what are some
concerns that you see with the advancement of AI? The output was, “Robots possibly and able to
make decisions without human intervention, especially if biological.” Some say in the future
robots will take us over and there is no way of stopping them.
The rise of machines will one day over power the ordinary job tasks that a few
individuals think that are annoying and tidies. Even though “the aliveness’ into everything we
do, and let electronic systems take over the dead, dull stuff, Samson says. Winning strategy for
the information age is to inject Richard Samson, author of the forthcoming book called The
Human Edge, is convinced we are teetering on the precipice of an employment revolution for
only the second time in modern history” (Crozier). The electronics revolution is a threat to the
brain power of the human race. Many individuals have already been replaced by a machine. Take
automobile manufacturing for instance. The auto makers now have robots that do these jobs;
Cormier 6
paint the cars, weld, build assemblies, Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) milling,
assembly line functions and Armature winders. With all the jobs that humans once had getting
thrown off to the side by the robot that will never stop unless broken, complain to the boss, take
a break, and never walk away from the job.
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) contributes to the growth and
positive reflection of Artificial Intelligence with the donation of more then $666,000 each year
towards For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) to more than 111
teams and 5 events. The FIRST Robotics Competition is an exciting, multinational competition
that teams professionals and young people to solve an engineering design problem in an intense
and competitive way. The people at NASA also bring not only satellite broadcasts of the regional
competitions and the nationals, but also the kickoff, which marks the start of a new season.
NASA not only does the FIRST program but also the Botball program which gives students
hands-on learning outside of the classroom to build and program a team of robots also project
management skills that will prepare students for the workforce. NASA also has a Robotic
Construction Crew that builds and constructs objects while computing with other robots.
Many might ask what’s with all the talk about robots and Artificial Intelligence when we
are not going to be taken over by an object that we have made? The answer is that we have a
chance to be taken over by robot but, the realistic point as of today is that we will not be taken
over by the creatures that we have developed; all we can do right now is wait and hope it doesn’t
happen in the future. The future of AI looks bright and hopeful. While the breakthroughs are
outstanding and don’t lack having the ability to do anything that we can put our minds to, AI is
an endless supply of vast knowledge getting put into a program to make our lives easier and
better. Maybe in the future due to Artificial Intelligence we will be playing a sport on segways or
Cormier 7
a hovercraft type robot to score a point. The future could also lead to robots that will patrol our
streets and keep the human police officers off the dangerous streets from being shot or
dangerously injured. Possibly those same robots could be building our houses for us with out one
single mistake or failure. It is not very hard notice once you walk through a well developed mall
that you notice at least one video game store. The video game industry is a vast array of
Artificial Intelligence that entertains people who enjoy sport games, first person shooters, role
playing, and any other kind of video games. With all these people who enjoy video games, they
will also enjoy all the different types of AI gifts for the holidays like a talking Barbie dolls which
interact with their owners and construction sets that allow the user to build anything that will
interact with the user. The medical purposes will let our mothers, grandmothers and pets live
longer then they do. Artificial Intelligence will allow robots to keep an eye on our elderly and
take care of them when needed. The effect of all this new technology to the world is mainly
positive but also negative at the same time. Once we start replacing people at jobs with robots
our unemployment rate will increase and will suffer a moderate depression even though the AI
will also bring new jobs into the market. The only bad thing with the new jobs into the market is
that the people who have lost the job will have to be re-educated and trained for the new jobs that
interact with the robots that have taken over their job. Artificial Intelligence will be one of the
top technological necessities in the near future because of all the breakthroughs, the increase on
the job market, the inevitable technology boom, and all the contributions that the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration bring to Artificial Intelligence. The world will be a better
place and an excellent environment for future inventions, creatures, and even war now that
Artificial Intelligence has an impact on how we will live and interact with the environment. As
Cormier 8
the technology boom declines we will be left with nothing that any person could have expected
in return, a new outlook on life and how we see the world.
Cormier 9
Works Citied
Crozier, Ry. “Rise of the Machines.” Electronic News.com. 14 Feb. 2005. Reed Business
Information. 13 Feb. 2005
<http://www.electronicsnews.com.au/articles/10/0c018b10.asp>.
Heberling, Charles. Personal interview. 11 Feb. 2005.
Kirkpatrick, David. “The Real Boom.” 4 Dec. 2003. Fortune.com. 9 Feb. 2005
<http://cnn.technology.printthis.clickability.com>.
Pogue, David. “The Robot Returns, Cleaning up.” 28 Aug. 2003. New York Times. 9 Jan. 2005
<http://ww.nytimes.com/2003/08/28>.
“Robotic Construction Crew starts to work” robotslife.com 16 Jan. 2002 Robots Life. 9 Dec.
2004 <http://www.robotslife.com/news>
“Robots seen as Companions for elderly.” AI Magazine Summer 2004, Vol. 25. Proquest.
Webster Thomas High School, Thomas Library. 30 Nov. 2004
<http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet>
“SimCity used in AI experiment: new urban planning computers.” Computer Shopper
1992, Vol. 12. Pro Quest. Webster Thomas High School, Thomas Library.
Aug.
Cormier 10
30 Nov. 2004 <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet>
Soskis, Benjamin. “Man and the Machines.” Legal Affairs. Jan/Feb. 2005. LegalAffairs.org. 3
Jan. 2005 <http://legalaffaris.org/issues/January-Febuary2005/feature_soskis_janfeb05.html>.
Wakefield, Jane. “Hi-Tech Ghosts of Christmas Future.” 25 Dec. 2002. BBC News. 12 Jan. 2005
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2584387.stm>.
Websters Revised Unabridged Dictionary © 1996, 1998 MICRA