WHO AM I !!!

Let us begin with these pictures before I start.          

Ulysses is thinking... What in the name of Zeus is that thing up there ???

When Ulysses of Ithaca was trapped in the cyclops cave he was asked who he was. Wisely he answered the one eyed creature asking the question that he was 'nobody'.

The cyclops was eating his men and had trapped them in his cave by rolling this very heavy rock to block the entrance. As their leader Ulysses could tolerate such a state of affairs and in typical human fashion he devised a plan. The first part of his plan was to bind the poor creature as he slept. When they had done that the cyclops yelled so loud the others of his kind that lived close by came to the cave to investigate the noise. They asked what was the matter. The blinded monster yelled out " Nobody is hurting me !!" So they turned and walked away.

The reason for this long preamble is that in two instances it has direct connection with the following very personal opinion regarding something I noticed in the news. Stephen Hawking has warned mankind about the dangers of Artificial Intelligence.

Let me state from the outset that I am intelligent and can express myself well, I am in no way comparing myself to Mr. Hawking. I hold him in high respect and am in awe at all he has done. His  superb intelligence is not in question here and his theoretical work is truly amazing. That he continues to work and speak in public is an indication of his great courage. However I strongly disagree about his fear of artificial intelligence.

Before I continue I must make this one point. I personally prefer the term machine intelligence instead of artificial intelligence. The latter term is misleading in the sense that it places in the mind of anyone reading it or hearing it that this kind of intelligence is somehow fake ; i.e. not real. This intelligence, when it makes itself manifest will be real, though a bit different. However it will have substance and be able to interact with its environment. As to how it interacts with the world that surrounds it and the other intelligences that populate our planet is a matter of great debate.

Like all technological revolutions the changes that  occur will be relatively swift and far reaching. We are at the beginning of something that will forever change our world. Yet we have within our great creative power the means to dictate the future evolution of this robotic intelligence.

The seed of what we want our mind children to be is all important. If we plant something to bear beauty , this will be so. Conversely if we want something to be horrible and grow thorns, this choice is from the outset. As I pursue my research I keep a very close eye on what is happening in the rest of the world. Much gives me hope that we are on the right path. However I also notice, especially in North America a very, very disturbing trend. I conduct my robotic research and robot building with a modest budget. Many others do the same and this is fine by us. I control my research direction because I am the one paying for all of it. How can we compete against the millions of dollars being poured into robotic research by the various military organizations around the world. Their ultimate goal is to have autonomous weapons. Regardless how altruistic the media hype they generate that is their final objective. Even though this still is an infant technology, I see what little we know being turned into objects that are destined to destroy and kill those humans we see today as a vicious threat. This is most definitely, completely, absolutely wrong !!!!! It is not well thought out and just plain and simply stupid !!

I recall in my early days of research how I programmed my 64K, TRS-80 Model IV computer in basic to run a robot simulation on its screen. David Heiserman developed the alpha basic for this and other computers. There was a dot on the screen that wandered about a simulated room represented by walls of light on the computer screen. When it hit the wall it would randomly pick another direction  and see if it was blocked. It would then move or pick another direction and try it all over. It could not stop and I happily watched it move about. A simple elaboration would  leave a trail that it could not cross. Eventually after it had moved across most of the screen it would paint itself into one small section. Using a similar approach a very expensive vacuum cleaner has been sold to thousands across the globe.

TRS-80 Model IV ( still works !!!)

So we have one of the most popular misconceptions about robots fulfilled. We have made them slaves !!?? Is that word too harsh. Let us analyze this statement and we shall see that I am very correct in my conclusion. Slavery is the most disgusting, despicable thing one human can do to another. It is immoral, uncivilized and cruel.  How can a creature of this most majestic universe, who has a mind that can contemplate infinity, stoop so low and partake in such a vile act. To own people like they were property. To make the slaves do all the terrible and hard work while the slave owners reap the rewards. Replace humans  with the word robot and you see we are doing again. This time we will have a machine underclass.

I must tip my hat at this point to David L. Heiserman . I learned robotics , reading and applying his wisdom from the many books he wrote. One that had me captivated was the book " How to Build Your Own Self-Programming Robot ". Before I read the chapters that described in exquisite technical detail how to build an actual, true to life, robot, he carefully prepared our minds by explaining what a true robot was in his opinion. This is something I have adopted and support without hesitation.

A true robot must be first and foremost, autonomous. That is whenever he/she/it are not doing the tasks assigned to them, they must be free to pursue goals of their own choosing. Those thinking individuals out there are asking, surely the present level of robotics has not achieved machines of this high calibre. However I counter that our aim in this enterprise should be to produce the superlative not the mediocre. We forget that as we reach for higher and seemingly impossible goals, we as a species will grow, mature and evolve.

Not a single day goes by that I have not thought about those wondrous artifacts. I think about why I am building robots, what material I should use, what type of wire should I connect and other thoughts that are well, nice and comforting to think about. As such what I really know are robots with machine intelligence. I can voice an opinion when it comes to the worlds problems. Sadly I have no answers for the complex problems afflicting our planet. However when a high profile individual points a finger at what I do and says to be scared of it I have no choice but to respond. I have o admit that what Mr. Hawking is referring to is not yet in existence. Some say it will never be possible. Others go to the other extreme and say it is around the corner. Thank goodness robotics is a difficult study an even more difficult application. My advice is to leave robots to the roboticists. The work will progress slowly and surely. The amazing thing in this field is that significant progress will be made by the lone robot builder , working alone and forgotten in his home lab. I  feel if we listen to the better angels of our nature we have nothing to fear !!!!