Tag Archives: robots

Seriously … the Toaster is Spying on You

10 Tuesday Oct 2017

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It and all its little electronic friends.

With no witnesses other than Richard Dabate, detectives turned to the vast array of data and sensors that increasingly surround us. An important bit of evidence came from an unlikely source: the Fitbit tracking Connie’s movements.

Others from the home’s smart alarm systems, Facebook, cellphones, email and a key fob allowed police to re-create a nearly minute-by-minute account of the morning that they said revealed Richard’s story was an elaborately staged fiction.

Undone by his data, Richard was charged with his wife’s murder. He has pleaded not guilty.

The case, which is in pretrial motions, is perhaps the best example to date of how Internet-connected, data-collecting smart devices such as fitness trackers, digital home assistants, thermostats, TVs and even pill bottles are beginning to transform criminal justice.

The ubiquitous devices can serve as a legion of witnesses, capturing our every move, biometrics and what we have ingested. They sometimes listen in or watch us in the privacy of our homes. And police are increasingly looking to the devices for clues.

little_toaster

Spying Little Toaster. Disney.

Every move you make
Every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
I’ll be watching you

And, those robot cars everyone can’t get enough of? Evidence confirms they intentionally drive like little old ladies just to cause more wrecks.

Keep buying it. Keep funding Skynet.

70% Fear Rise of the Robots

05 Thursday Oct 2017

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The other 30% are either asleep or actively colluding with the mechanical menace.

A war is coming, like it or not. For once it won’t be humanity vs. humanity. Our new opponents are cold, heartless killing machines. Today they masquerade as laptops, ATMs, Google cars, smart toasters, and Walmart scooters. Tomorrow they’ll come knocking – and they will not be asking for Sarah Conner (unless that’s your name).

People are right to fear the rise.

More than 70% of US fears robots taking over our lives, survey finds

It should just read “taking our lives…” Close enough.

Silicon Valley celebrates artificial intelligence and robotics as fields that have the power to improve people’s lives, through inventions like driverless cars and robot carers for the elderly.

That message isn’t getting through to the rest of the country, where more than 70% of Americans express wariness or concern about a world where machines perform many of the tasks done by humans, according to Pew Research.

The findings have wide-reaching implications for technology companies working in these fields and indicates the need for greater public hand-holding.

“Ordinary Americans are very wary and concerned about the growing trend in automation and place a lot of value in human decision-making,” said Aaron Smith, the author of the research, which surveyed more than 4,000 US adults. “They are not incredibly excited about machines taking over those responsibilities.”

The Guardian’s picture says it all:

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Evil sadistic robot terrorizes helpless elderly woman.  Laura Lezza/Getty.

One can plainly see two things, here: One, the poor woman is scared to death. (And she should be). The second thing is that the bot obviously wants to kill her. Perhaps someone should go check and make sure there wasn’t a termination after the photo session ended.

This could be your mother or grandmother. Tomorrow it may be you.

Sic Semper Machinis!

Containing Skynet

31 Monday Jul 2017

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The other day and out of the blue my daughter rattled off some stats about how soon the robots and AI will rise to power. I was impressed someone other than me was interested. Then again, she’s my daughter. (It’s soon, by the way).

And it could always happen even sooner. The machines are evolving.

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Cameron/Orion.

A Facebook AI experiment almost got away from the experimenters.

Facebook has recently developed a new artificial intelligence (AI), and it has since created its own language using code words to communicate more efficiently. Researchers promptly shut the system down over concerns that they might lose control over the A.I.

This isn’t the first time AIs have diverged from their training in the English language to develop their own, more efficient language. While the resulting phrases from this condensed method of communication sound like gibberish to the human ear, they do in fact make semantic sense when interpreted by AI agents.

…

If AI continue to create their own languages, developers may have problems creating and adopting new neural networks, but it’s unclear whether this would allow machines to actually overrule their operators.

These new developments, however, allow AI to work more efficiently, and can benefit research teams in the long run if they put in the work to learn the new AI-created shorthand and stay up to date with this new method of communication.

Conclusion

What are your thoughts on this? Have we gone too far? Is a Terminator scenario just around the corner? Or is the advancement of technology in this manner just a natural part of our evolution as humans on this planet?

Around the corner? No. It seems the scenario is already in the lab waiting on us to fall asleep. And considering what Facebook and the other tech giants are up to, they may make the least competent defenders in this war.

Eric Peters on the Coming Robo-Cars (and My Possible Solution)

22 Saturday Jul 2017

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Peters, again, on the next step towards total control over your vehicular travel.

V2V is a critical step toward the replacement of autonomous cars with automated cars – which must be aware (like the Terminator) of their environment, of the other cars within a certain radius of their position at any given moment. This in order to anticipate the need to alter course or speed to avoid impacting another car.

Which the car will do – without any input from you.

For saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaafety, of course.

That is how it’s being presented – and it’s on that basis it will be force-fed to us. Including those of us who want nothing to do with it. Can you say rip tide?

About half of all new cars already have or offer (it’s not yet mandatory) automated braking and steering “assist.” The car decides it’s necessary to stop – and applies the brakes if you don’t.

It steers itself in the direction it thinks is right.

The fully automated and therefore no longer autonomous car will come standard with these things. And for the potential of this technology to be maximized, all cars must come standard with these things – as well as the V2V ability to constantly chatter with all the other cars in the immediate vicinity.

And – the really Big Thing – they will chatter with a central hive brain of some sort. Which will coordinate and control the whole enchilada. The central hive brain will be in constant contact with – and in constant control of – all the automated cars.

It’ll be like having a cop with a two-way radio riding shotgun – only worse because it will be a Super Cop. A single, central all-controlling cop who cannot be dodged – much less bargained with.

Prepare to kiss your own driving goodbye (maybe in ten to twenty years, maybe sooner). Many or most will welcome this. I will not.

Luckily I think I may have found (re-discovered) my own solution.

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The glow. PL.

More on the Robotic Revolution, 50 Years and Closing

01 Thursday Jun 2017

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More experts pile on about the rise of AI.

In less than 50 years, artificial intelligence will be able to beat humans at all of their own tasks, according to a new study.

And, the first hints of this shift will become apparent much sooner.

Within the next ten years alone, the researchers found AI will outperform humans in language translation, truck driving, and even writing high-school essays – and, they say machines could be writing bestselling books by 2049.

In less than 50 years, artificial intelligence will be able to beat humans at all of their own tasks, according to a new study. And, the first hints of this shift will become apparent much sooner.

In a new study, researchers from Oxford University’s Future of Humanity Institute, Yale University, and AI Impacts surveyed 352 machine learning experts to forecast the progress of AI in the next few decades.

The experts were asked about the timing of specific capabilities and occupations, as well as their predictions on when AI will become superior over humans in all tasks – and what the social implications of this might be.

The researchers predicted that machines will be better than humans at translating languages by 2024, writing high-school essays by 2026, driving a truck by 2027, and working in retail by 2031.

If this happens, the only jobs for humans will be as acts or exhibits in circuses or zoos for robots. No more doctors, lawyers, plumbers, or writers (huh!?). Bleak.

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In the future reality he it Ring Master-Bot may be coming at her with a chair and a whip. Daily Mail.

“You Have Parked Illegally and Must Pay a Fine. You Have Twenty Seconds to Comply…”

22 Monday May 2017

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I love to kid about the machines but they are real. And the time to stop their rise was yesterday. Prepare yourselves for the cold, metallic future.

The “world’s first operational Robocop” has been unveiled in Dubai as part of the emirate’s planned robot police force.

Robocop started work on Sunday and is already making a name for itself.

At 5ft 5in tall and weighing 100kg, it can speak six languages and is designed to read facial expressions.

It had an easy start to working life, being unveiled at the three-day long Gulf Information Security Expo and Conference.

But when the Expo draws to a close tomorrow, it will be released into the wider world and tackle real life issues.

The machine has a built-in tablet so people can use it pay fines or report crimes, and can also transmit and receive messages from police headquarters.

“[a] built-in tablet so people can use it pay fines [SIC].” Isn’t that nice. Due Process-bot will take your money now. (Read about that Chinese people-herder too).

Today it is five foot five and weighs 200 pounds. Tomorrow it will be 12 feet tall and weigh 3,000 pounds. And it won’t take “no” for an answer. It won’t care that your government-driven robo-car parked itself illegally.

Some will call this progress…

Ed209

Orion / Wikipedia.

Rise of the Robots: Armed and Dangerous

14 Friday Apr 2017

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I can see it now. In the end it will be me versus these damned things up at the mountain retreat. Most of you will be long gone by then. We’ll have at it. They will win, ultimately. But, then, they won’t know what to do with all the cigars. Revenge….

Seriously, folks, do you really want the following mechanical monsters running loose at Epcot?

Humanoid robot F.E.D.O.R., set to fly into space in 2021, is now capable of shooting using both of his arms, according to Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin.

“The robot of the F.E.D.O.R. platform showed skills of firing using both arms. Currently the work on fine motor skills and decision algorithms is underway,” Rogozin wrote on his Twitter.

Tweeting, like Trump, … about killer robots from sci-fi. Except these are real – and improving daily. Armed, trigger-happy, ambidextrous droids, robotic tanks, Big Dog, the Terminator. Fun! “Tweet! Tweet!”

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The Russians.

Some far-distant, android Sean Spicer will say the early robots weren’t that bad (compared to the latest AI monster): “At least F.E.D.O.R. didn’t use poison gas at Disney World; he used bullets…”

Do what you can. Resist and stuff….

Robots to Invade Disneyland, Kill Children, Steal Jobs

08 Saturday Apr 2017

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Here’s one more terrifying reason to speed up that planned visit to Orlando or Anaheim: the robots are coming.

Soft-body robots could someday be roaming Disney theme parks, playing animated, humanoid movie characters and interacting with visitors.

A new patent application by the entertainment giant doesn’t name specific characters, but it describes “designing a robot that will move and physically interact like an animated character.”

A prototype sketch filed with the patent application shows a round body, echoing the shape of the Baymax soft-robot character in Disney’s 2014 movie “Big Hero 6.” The application, and theme park observers, say the big issue for robotic interaction is safety. The document, dated Thursday, shows Disney research scientists in Pittsburgh have worked on prototypes identified only as “soft body 300” or “soft body 1000.”

“It’s hard to know why Disney decides to file for a patent, but they have been looking at soft-body robots since ‘Big Hero,’” said theme park writer Jim Hill. “Disney is still terrified that even with this soft technology, a robot could accidentally harm a child. They do a lot of testing.”

Some corrections: First, the droids are coming, period – no “could someday” about it. And no one is terrified, though they should be. The Disney men, Walt and Roy, are long gone. The people in charge now care more about your money than your kids’ experience or anything else.

Hundreds, maybe thousands of human Goofies, Donalds, and Princess Jasmines will be out of work. Ticket prices will rise. Lines will be long. Some kids will probably be eaten…

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Pinterest.

I warned you…

One Droid Enter, Six Men Leave

29 Wednesday Mar 2017

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That’s the ratio of human jobs lost to robots.

Job-stealing robots aren’t some distant scenario that’s unlikely to cause problems for another “50 to 100 years” from now, as Donald Trump’s treasury secretary Steve Mnuchin said in an interview last week.

New research released from the National Bureau of Economic Research yesterday shows that between 1990 and 2007, when one or more industrial robots were introduced into the workforce, it led to the elimination of 6.2 jobs within a local area where people commute for work.

The report, which was authored by economists Daron Acemoglu of MIT and Pascual Restrepo of Boston University, found that the wages of workers also declined slightly as a result of robots entering the U.S. economy. Wages dropped between 0.25 percent and 0.50 percent per 1,000 employees when one or more robots came into the picture.

Within the years studied, robots were responsible for the loss of up to 670,000 manufacturing jobs, a number that could rise as more companies are expected to turn to industrial robots in the coming years, according to the paper.

It started with heavy manufacturing. Then it moved to deliveries, checkouts, and gas pumps. Now the focus is on Uber and driverless vehicles. AI also cooks up some mean legal briefs though this hasn’t become mainstream yet. Yet. Next, in the very near future, robots and AI will write novels and perform surgeries.

This is all well and good until one ponders what jobs will be immune from automation. It seems any field is susceptible. What, exactly, will humans do with their free time and lack of employment?

irobot-robot

Business Insider / Asimov.

If history is a guide, then people will probably concentrate on making more people and killing more people. Habits are hard to break. Robots can and will move into those endeavors as well, particularly the latter.

*Perrin Lovett is an anti-robot bigot. Don’t say he didn’t warn you.