Scientists Worry Machines May Outsmart Man

Scientists Worry Machines May Outsmart Man (Link to an article in NYTimes)

Can you imagine living in a place where machines are more intelligent than humans? According to John Markoff, some concerns have been raised in the community of Computer Scientists and Artificial Intelligence researchers around the globe. Some of the researchers involved are alarmed by the constant improvements in technologies, and so are debating whether we should put limits to the creation of smart machines. One of the main reasons for having limits on these new technologies is the fact that "further advances could create profound social disruptions and even have dangerous consequences." We have to set limits because we need to have all these technological advancements under our control. It is ethically wrong to create machines that are totally autonomous and cannot be controlled by humans. Technologies in general, but specially smart machines must benefit humans not destroy or cause disruption in our daily lives. This raises an ethical question: Are humans being forced to "learn to live" with machines and computers? With the new technological advances humans have to find a way to interact with computers. Older people feel that society is trying to force them to interact somehow with computers. They feel left out of their own natural environment just because they have no idea on how to use a computer. This should not be the idea when designing new technologies. The interaction should be natural where any individual, no matter what his/her condition is, should be able to interact with a smart environment. Another thing designers and researchers need to keep in mind is the "turn on/off feature." Users should be able to control the machines. Another important aspect is the exploitation of artificial intelligence systems. Many of the benefits we get with the newly developed and researched technologies can be badly used against our human race. "What could a criminal do with a speech synthesis system that could masquerade as a human being? What happens if artificial intelligence technology is used to mine personal information from smart phones?" As we can see, advancements in Artificial Intelligence can bring a prosperous future but as new technologies are created, new ways of exploiting the vulnerabilities come along. After the conference that took place in California, USA, many experiments and projects around the the world have been halted. There is a need for ethical researchers and scientists that care about the future of humanity. Humans are more important than any technology. There is a need for a world-wide organization that regulates and sets some guidelines that protect the integrity of humans. In 1965 Good proposed that smart machines  would design even smarter machines. This may sound sci-fi but if we do not set limits in the design of smart machines Good's proposal can become an uncomfortable reality. Some of the problems cause by the rise of these smart machines can bring "socioeconomic, legal and ethical issues." Human-computer relationship will probably change because as the author of the article says: "How would it be, for example, to relate to a machine that is as intelligent as your spouse?" This is very unfortunate but we need to be optimistic that Artificial Intelligence research will benefit humans and will improve the way we live. It is up to us, and so we need to participate in the development of future AI technologies. 

Visual System Interprets Sign Languages

Visual System Interprets Sign Language (Link to an article in ScienceDaily)

Amazing article on how the development of new technologies can benefit people with different disabilities.  This time students from the European Union in conjunction with the "Catalan Federation of Deaf People" developed a visual system that will help deaf people that use Spanish sign language make consultations in their language. What is interesting in this research is the fact that researchers are taking into consideration that signs can vary depending on each user. Another aspect that is very notorious is the ability of this system to translate sign language to real words in real-time. This feature allows deaf users to communicate using the simplest signs of the collection of sign language to establish a simple conversation with people that knows nothing about sign language. It makes use of very simple artifacts that we use in our daily lives such as a video camera. It captures images that are interpreted and matched with a sign. It is worth mentioning that this system can be scalable and adaptable to other sign languages. Its architecture allows other users to train the system to work with different sign languages. According to the author of the article, this system is designed with peculiar care due to the different contexts in which the system can be used. The researchers have worked hard to find a harmony between the environment that surrounds the system: light, shadows, speed at which the sign is made, etc. Even though this is a very promising project, designers of the visual system assured that it can not handle many signs yet. The reason is that it can confuse some signs but development is on its way. They are trying to implement the system using two cameras two recognize more complex signs. In conclusion, projects that make life easier for those that are unable to participate in our communities  or have a special need are exceptional ways to show that we can reach a harmony between humans and the environment that surround us. These types of projects create an environment where humans can be sure that their dignity will be protected. Technologies that want to make humans less human are worthless. We need to focus on creating technologies that will make members of our society more human instead of degrading human nature. This is a good example of technologies that make good use of information contained in the context. This system responds to the presence of a deaf person and it is worth mentioning that this will allow those members with special needs to integrate in a more natural and human way to our society.