When the machines take over

[Pat McCotter]

A Self-Programming Autonomous Robot
by Terry Newton, November 1996

This is an ongoing project to explore simple learning algorithms by incorporating them into a small toy "Spider" robot. Although not specifically programmed to do anything, it learns through experience to make moves and seek conditions that satisfy pre-programmed conditions. In other words, I don't tell it HOW to avoid obstacles in its path, all I tell it is that objects in its path are not desirable. It has to discover the proper solutions through trial and error then remember the correct responses.

The Three Classes of Machine Intelligence
Many of the ideas I'm using here come from a 1979 book entitled "How to Build Your Own Self-Programming Robot" by David L. Heiserman (TAB books number 1241). He describes three levels of machine intelligence. Taken from the book, these are:

• "An Alpha-Class robot is one whose responses are limited to basic reflex activity. One can include any number of sensory systems to sense light, sound, touch, and so on, but the responses are purely reflexive, and for the most part, random in nature."
  
  


• "A Beta-Class robot is slightly more intelligent than any Alpha-Class version. Beta robots have the same primitive reflex mechanisms, but they are also able to remember reflex responses that work best under a given set of circumstances. So whenever a Beta-Class robot manages to extricate itself via a set of random responses from an undesirable environmental condition, it remembers the one response that worked and then uses it immediately whenever the same situation arises again. The responses are purely reflexive and random the first time around, but they become more rational as the machine gains experience with the world around it."
  
  


• "A Gamma-Class robot includes the reflex and memory features of the two lower-order machines, but it also has the ability to generalize whatever it learns through direct experience. Once a Gamma-Class robot meets and solves a particular problem, it not only remembers the solution, but generalizes that solution into a variety of similar situations not yet encountered. Such a robot need not encounter every possible situation before discovering what it is supposed to do; rather it generalizes its first-hand responses, thereby making it possible to deal with the unexpected elements of its life more effectively."

more...

[PattyLee loves dogs]

00100111? 10010001 00110011 11100011, 01011001 11110000 00110010 00010101 01010101.

00000001! 00000001!

[PattyLee loves dogs]

I don't mean to get into a debate on what a "brain" and what "thinking" is, but when a machine sits down, writes the DNA sequence, and the cells of a carbon-based organism are bound by that code, there's no thought there. Humans are essentially tertiary systems - "yes", "no" and "no decision needed" (NOP!). The most complex neuron nets in the world merely answer lots of yes and nos.

[41mag]

All hail our robot masters!   

And let's not forget Six:

[Friday]

Uh oh... there's going to be some master debating starting...

[FTL_Ian]

I share Vitruvian's vision and think that the rise of the voluntary society will speed the process ever more as well as prevent madmen from stealing money to fund their dreams of robots who kill.

Even if the evil govt robots happen, it will be our robots vs. theirs, and we'll win.  Wouldn't a logical being like an intelligent robot easily see that the government people and their agression were the problem?

Question:

If the robots decided to initiate force against the government people, how would you feel?

[Lloyd Danforth]

I don't know.  Once the robots get a taste of human blood none of us will be safe

[K. Darien Freeheart]

If the robots decided to initiate force against the government people, how would you feel?

If they're robots, they've been programmed and I'd blame the humans that caused it. If they're sentient, I'd feel no different than if a human had started killing government people.

Of course, if they're using retalitory force, that's a different story.

[Coconut]

If the robots decided to initiate force against the government people, how would you feel?

If they're robots, they've been programmed and I'd blame the humans that caused it. If they're sentient, I'd feel no different than if a human had started killing government people.

Of course, if they're using retalitory force, that's a different story.

They already tried. Maybe the robots are liberty-minded after all.

http://gizmodo.com/378523/combat-robot-attempts-rebellion-against-human-masters-in-iraq-army-pulls-plug-for-10+20-years

there was an incident where "the gun started moving when it was not intended to move," meaning it totally pointed somewhere it wasn't supposed to—like at friendlies

[Friday]

The season premiere of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles rocked!!!

They have some really excellent music on that show, too.  I wonder if they'll release a soundtrack CD.