This is how scientists are working to prevent a robot rebellion
It's something every science-fiction reader knows to fear: the robot rebellion, when artificial intelligence will learn how to override and outsmart human commands. Now scientists at Google are working to develop a "kill switch" to prevent AI from figuring out they got the short end of the deal (or just getting mischievous), BBC News reports.
Working with researchers at Oxford University, Google's AI division, DeepMind, plans to ensure that humans always remain in charge. "Now and then it may be necessary for a human operator to press a big red button to prevent the agent from continuing a harmful sequence of actions," the researchers wrote — a vaguely terrifying reassurance.
Artificial intelligence won't "behave optimally all the time," but the important thing is that people are able to override when a robot "learns" to misbehave, such as when a Tetris-playing robot figured out that if it paused a game forever, it would never lose, or when Microsoft's Tay chatbot became racist and sexist.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"No system is ever going to be foolproof — it is matter of making it as good as possible, and this is one of the first steps," DeepMind's Dr. Laurent Orseau said.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
The growing US movement to end child marriages
Under the Radar Practice is 'surprisingly widespread' but only 12 states have so far banned it
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'New arrivals are more than paying for themselves'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
6 stylish homes in Portland, Oregon
Feature Featuring a wall of windows in Collins View and a historic ballroom in Portland Heights
By The Week US Published
-
Blind people will listen to next week's total eclipse
Speed Read While they can't see the event, they can hear it with a device that translates the sky's brightness into music
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Melting polar ice is messing with global timekeeping
Speed Read Ice loss caused by climate change is slowing the Earth's rotation
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
An amphibian that produces milk?
speed read Caecilians, worm-like amphibians that live underground, produce a milk-like substance for their hatchlings
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Jupiter's Europa has less oxygen than hoped
speed read Scientists say this makes it less likely that Jupiter's moon harbors life
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Why February 29 is a leap day
Speed Read It all started with Julius Caesar
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US spacecraft nearing first private lunar landing
Speed Read If touchdown is successful, it will be the first U.S. mission to the moon since 1972
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Scientists create 'meaty' rice for eco-friendly protein
Speed Read Korean scientists have invented a new hybrid food, consisting of beef muscle and fat cells grown inside grains of rice
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Race to the Moon: the manned missions to lunar surface
The Explainer China and US locked in battle for future dominance of Earth's satellite and its precious resources
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published