The Singularity
Artificial Intelligence: Too much talk about the future?
Over the last two decades, some amazing things have happened in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). Governments have been pouring money into AI and robotics, yielding meaningful progress. Some powerful AI systems have gone commercial; others are on the brink. But these accomplishments are sometimes being overshadowed by commentary on robot emotions, robot... »
Where in the universe is ET, The Extraterrestrial? Oxford’s Nick Bostrom hopes we never find out
In his article, Where Are They? Why I Hope the Search for Extraterrestrial Life Finds Nothing (PDF here), Oxford University’s Nick Bostrom has raised some very troubling questions. According to Bostrom, one must wonder what to make of the apparent absence of intelligent civilizations in the universe: the statistical probabilities suggest the universe ought to... »
Brainstorm Responds to Robot Ethics Challenge
At the dawn of the age of autonomous robots, there has been a sudden surge in concern over the ability of intelligent machines to make ethical choices. Ethics can be challenging, in theory and in practice. But from a technical perspective, things might not be so bad. The Pentagon recently hired a British scientist to... »
Darwin Ist Tot: Intelligent Design is Not Creationism
One man’s magic is another man’s science. Religious essayist Rev. Eric Strachan of the New Life Community Church in Ontario, Canada has published a short essay in The Daily Observer called “The Wonders of Intelligent Design.” Strachan writes: “There’s a difference in the things that God creates, and the stuff that men and women design, a... »
Sweden: The Land of Robots
When you ask a man on the street where revolutionary advanced robots are being developed, he is likely to name Japan and the United States. Japan is well known for such amazing mechanical creations as ASIMO and HRP, as well as robots that dance, engage in martial arts, transform, and play musical instruments. In... »
RoboBusiness: Robots that Dream of Being Better
On the last day of the RoboBusiness Conference in Boston, something wonderful happened. Institute of Robotics in Scandinavia (iRobis) introduced robotic imagination. I don’t mean imaginative robot designs. I mean; robots that imagine. And by imagine, I don’t mean simply creating images in a simulator. I mean imagination as part of reasoning and problem... »
The Bicameral Universe: A Theory of Everything in One Blog Post
O Lord Lead me from the unreal to the real. Lead me from the darkness to light. Lead me from death to immortality. May there be peace, peace, and perfect peace. — Brihadaranyaka Upanishads (1.3.28) Fair Notice: The following article is an expression of opinion. I assert no “truths” other than those I believe are commonly accepted by the... »
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