When Atlas Strikes Back

By Andy Kober

There is something under development much more concerning than data centers,
With the attention of so many people on opposing data centers, and understandably so, people are missing something connected to data centers that could prove incredibly dangerous.
Over a period of some time Boston Dynamics has been developing robots. Not to be confused with single-function, limited-purpose robots found in manufacturing plants and fast-food restaurants, the company’s rapid advancements in quadrupedal and bipedal robots have been nothing less than astounding.
The quadrupedal robot, with a shape similar to a canine or feline, has been displayed on numerous occasions. There are robots based on nature’s design of other creatures that are under development. Advancements have been made to nanobots, so small they can be inserted into a person’s bloodstream.
And then there is Atlas.
Atlas is bipedal, based on humanoid design to function in a world that has been shaped to accommodate humans. Atlas has evolved from a clunky, primitive prototype requiring attached power cables and seen falling down on a regular basis, to a sleek machine with internal power, the ability to learn, and gymnastic ability far exceeding most humans
In a video released by Boston Dynamics, an experiment has Atlas and a technician in a research facility. The technician has a stout pole to be used in pushing Atlas off its feet. The exercise stretches into minutes as the technician uses the pole to prod, poke, push, and even try to trip Atlas, and while the robot stumbles it never falls. Transfixed by the video, I admit waiting for Atlas to grab the pole and strike the technician. Of course, that never happened. In a later video, Atlas is shown balancing on one foot then running and tumbling through an obstacle course.
Boston Dynamics is not the only company working on such robots. Tesla is making huge advancements. So are foreign companies.
AS FAST as the development of robots and artificial intelligence are progressing, the advancement of artificial general intelligence, or AGI, is as well.
Started in the mid-1950s, research into and use of artificial intelligence exploded into our lives in early 2000s, and has now become commonplace. AI can be found in your smart phones and tablets. It is in your televisions and your computers, it abounds in gaming platforms and throughout social media platforms.
The development of AI is now leading to the further progress of AGI, which will ultimately lead to machines being able to think and reason. And then it might only be a small step to a computer system becoming self-aware. In fact, in 2017, the European Union considered designating “electronic personhood” to some very advanced AI computer systems.
Renowned physicist Stephen Hawkin said that artificial intelligence could “spell the end of the human race.” Other leaders in the field, such as Bill Gates and Elon Musk, have also aired such warnings.
IN the popular Terminator movie series, the computer system Skynet became self-aware and was perceived as a threat. The very humans that created it attempted to shut it down. What happened then became fodder for the series of movies and television series that followed. Similar themes have powered science fiction musings for a long time, but without the visceral feel of reality that “Terminator” brought to the screen.
With the incredible computing power of data centers, which will include AI and AGI, will they help lead to a computer system becoming self-aware?
It is entirely possible that once again what was once science fiction will become science fact – and we might pay the price.
That’s my opinion.
Andy Kober can be reached by email at andykober@hotmail.com