SELF LEARNING ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
By
Nam Nguyen
Biological Sciences/Environmental Sciences
A Submission to Jocelyn Crocker
Prepared for credit in
X01 Biological Sciences/ Comm 1105
Oct. 14, 2017
NAIT
Edmonton, Alberta
Artificial intelligence can be described as a computer programming mind, to be self learning is to be able to build it’s database on past experience or understanding about the future. It is believed that artificial intelligence may be the next mile stone in human accomplishments. It is also discussed in the scientific community warning that it is the beginning of the end and that there is a grave danger in creating a self learning artificial intelligence. Describing self learning (Artificial Intelligence) AI as an attainment of the highest glory of human accomplishment but also as a grave danger, is a double-edged sword. Based on the secular philanthropic direction of human ethics; this can be seen as a highly contradictory problem and it also can be seen as a solution for many unwanted mundane and trivial jobs or occupations that could otherwise be given to such a thing as a self learning AI. For the basis of such cheap labor can be bought with very little expense of capital or energy according to deloitte uk-insight “we suggested that 35 per cent of jobs in the UK were at high risk of automation in the next 10-20 years”. The dangers of something working at such a high efficiency level may bring in alarming ethical debates, to mention a few: The use of military machines or technologies of war namely weapons of war and (weapons of mass destruction) WMD, social/religious politics and robotics auto targeting and abuse of automatic locking and identifying technologies into question. Self learning AI is now no longer a myth of tales. It is now a scientific reality that must be dealt with open ears, eyes, hands and of course the heart. According to what was learnt about Alpha-Go a machine, by Google Deep Mind, a machine mind could out-wit and out play the worlds best Go player in the world. I will be identifying and arguing the example technologies; explain their potential but also their conflicting dangers and explain myself the best solution and the steps required to bring these technologies to life. Alpha-GO deep mind algorithms are building ideas and learning from past experiences. The applications of a self learning program or AI is limitless and may lead to inevitable success, many jobs could be easily filled with such a technology. If past experiences can be learned from and skills/ideas understood better with just mainly at the expense of time – and if these ideas/skills can be transferable to other jobs and compiled to learn and built on that. With this attribute in mind, in the world of education this would compliment a system that can also accommodate learning aids/guidance in the creation of more learning programs for humans along side (mainly virtual worlds under virtual settings); the ideas for what is possible is almost limitless. There are three things covered in this essay; practical applications, dangers of worldly complications and our future ideal destination by science. I will be discussing each topic and emphasize the importance of the three topics.
“Google spent more than $400 million to buy industry-leading startup DeepMind, and scored a major tech and marketing coup when the computer AlphaGo defeated grandmaster Lee Sedol at the possibility-lush game of Go–an achievement hundreds of times more complex than when Deep Blue beat Garry Kasparov at chess.” (Lee, Adrian “Banking on artificial intelligence”, 2017)
First, we will explore the practical applications of a self learning machine mind to solve and provide solutions to simple and complicated problems. According to Google and its recent trends on buying out the major players in the AI world, namely The AI Deep Blue, AlphaGo project. The amount of energy and capital invested in this example show’s just how much interest is in this piece of technology. The action of buying it out by Google, shows the importance of what this intelligence is as a future player in the industry. Google invested and bought out this startup company without any hesitation and for good reason too. They now have in their hands on an intelligence program that can play Go, but more importantly learn, react and move strategically in the complex game/world of Chinese Go – more efficiently and effectively than the best Go player in the world. This feat was also accompanied by Garry Kasparov and his defeat by Deep Blue in Chess before the coming of this event years later. If it is possible to teach a computer to navigate and pin point movement options on a game board, then to what extent can a computer be able to critically make decisions in space of life. I believe the best answer to this may be producing virtual worlds and also using these worlds as a virtual learning tool for many engineering and apprenticeships that need hands on experience. This may bridge the gap for experience in the world and allow opportunities to test and narrow down/calculate options. Programs built on the back bones of programs that want to learn and want to teach others to learn. Creating a learning environment where you can make mistakes and learn from them is most ideal especially in a competitive world that can be unforgiving sometimes in failure.
Secondly, among all the positive things to say about advanced technology and tools, we may have a problem mostly with advanced militarized machines and technology regarding war. If the machines are too efficient in killing, detecting and maiming – then it is technically marked off as a moral case for further human discussion about human responsibilities, to reevaluate its creator imbued personality and programming protocols for the said machine/AI programming. There are already enough stories in the Hollywood scene about robots/androids going rogue and not complying to their host creator. (Terminator, 1984) And of course a rogue self learning artificial intelligence would be a concern in life but that’s where we should set the protocols to shut it off should be. If the artificial intelligence believes it to be in the right without following specific procedures to handling a situation then it is necessary to program it to next time possibly wait for further instructions or until the engaged subject turns violent and hostile. This is all up to the host creator to implement and think about in the future if such an event occurs. This would be ideal for a creator to design something expendable if failed but always useful in the presence of it’s human host’s beck and call. They should only be looked at as a tool rather than confused as a sentient being no matter how flashy and refined the product is, we must remember that they were created as a product of science to benefit the human kind. Of course, there is a scare in the air with technology being so accessible asking what happens when a highly intelligent rogue AI were to get access to WMD (weapons of mass destruction). Such as the imprint of the last time we saw WMD in action during the bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima in WW2. The Atom bomb was a catastrophic disaster in which lingering radiation and wreckage still impedes normal life for a human being until this day. This gift of the understanding physics as he did also come with a warning that there is great responsibility that comes with understanding the miniature world of physics. The curse of the damage that was caused by that gift is ironic and sits on Einstein’s grave’s head where he will be remembered through history as the father of the Atom bomb.
Lastly on the future of this technology we should contemplate on what the ideal reimagined fate of all this would be and that we may be faced with strange AI and AI products in the future. Mixing people with machine and even sub-machine and bionically augmented human beings. There is in the world of social behaviors in what they call a stature of being politically correct, other human language obstructions/traditions/barriers/reactions and mannerisms that can be taught to an AI. Two chat robots were let loose in an experimental chat-bot argument set up supposedly by this turing test. Turing test, is defined as “a test of a machine’s ability to exhibit intelligent behaviour equivalent to, or indistinguishable from, that of a human” (Youtube: Two Artificial Intelligence (AI) Chatbots talk and argue with each other”, 2017) We find that even amongst AI and chatbots they can be taught awareness and even a slight consciousness amongst the name calling, moderate existential crisis and of course poetry discussion – as random as that may sound, all of it is intelligent to some degree and therefore it is completely possible to mistake one of these chatbots for a real person if one has a poor sense of detecting that these voices are synthesized voices. Of course, meeting real life androids is also a real thing thanks to technology and human’s having the need to humanize everything that they see and these ones can fool you into thinking you are talking to another human being. (Youtube: Rise 2017- Hanson Robotics – two robots debate the future of humanity) This video is a display of an android level robot AI interacting with advanced social skills and mannerisms. The flexible latex skin and having them touch on ideas of what a robot is and is not, may confuse a person to wonder what makes them any different from us. These are exciting times and distinguishing robot from reality is something that must be discussed in our race for better AI and human/Earth friendly technology.
Finally in conclusion, technology has given rise to the race for the hold on the ultimate AI. Whoever may hold the race for the “Greatest AI” wins the race for the world, as said by Putin himself (Putin, 2017). There’s an honorary seat for those who want to recreate greatness and that is done hand in hand with the highest extent of our responsibility to our children and our children’s children. The race for space was only the beginning we are developing into an age where machines and men/women are starting work symbiotically and in unison with technology/nature to make life better for the human being. To give chance to another evolutionary leap for science of the decade. Blending consciousness and mindfulness and bringing about the awe of contemplation in life. The three things covered in this essay; practical applications, dangers of worldly complications and our future ideal destination by science. We were able in our exploration of the “Self Learning Artificial Intelligence” to grasp what we have as a known science, how to work it and use it to benefit humanity. We identified dangers of such technologies in the world. We reimagined and envisioned the future of what our ideals may bring us to, in the destiny of man, technology and machine. This lead us to this moment where we see in clarity the beauty of the temporary moment and the work that is still needed to be done to understand nature, technology and deep in ourselves the responsibility that is due for such greatness. It is a gift to fight and obtain the seat of claim but it is also a curse if used irresponsibly; such is the memory of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, our greatest regret in the human crimes department. On the positive side machines and machine parts can help augment a person to live a normal life despite being amputated. The potential that technology has for helping more people than hurting people is important here and we need not to punish ourselves for other’s mistakes.
Citation 1- Deloitte UK Insights p.1. “deloitte-uk-insights-from-brawns-to-brain.pdf” from
www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/uk/Documents/Growth/deloitte-uk-insights-from-brawns-to-brain.pdf
Citation 2- Lee, Adrian. “Maclean’s; Toronto Banking on artificial intelligence”, Jan 23rd 2017 Retrieved October 14, 2017 from https://search-proquest-com.libezproxy.nait.ca/docview/1861199932?rfr_id=info%3Axri%2Fsid%3Aprimo
Citation 3-“Terminator” 1984, Retrieved October 14, 2017
Citation 4-“Hiroshima and Nagasaki WW2”, August 1945, Retrieved October 14, 2017
http://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bombing-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki
Citation 5- Youtube Video “Two Artificial Intelligence (AI) Chatbots talk and argue with each other” Sept. 29th 2013, Retrieved October 14, 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vphmJEpLXU0
Citation 6- Youtube Video “Rise 2017- Hanson Robotics – two robots debate the future of humanity” July 12 2017, Retrieved October 14, 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCP2iiP7YTg
Citation 7- Youtube Video “Whoever leads in AI will rule the world” September 4, 2017, Retrieved October 14, 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kggRND8c7Q
Star Tower Heaven Bound 