Student Article High School Science Journal Author: Michael Skinner

The New Age of Intelligence

August 05, 2007

In the modern era, the concept of artificial intelligence has become a subject of interest with movies such as I, Robot and AI attracting the curiosity of many people.  In the past, machines were only capable of basic calculations, but these basic calculations could be done quickly and flawlessly.  Since this time, machines have been getting more and more sophisticated and can now do many things, all which can be done precisely.  Based on modern-day technology improving so quickly, many people question whether machines will become smarter than humans and, if this is the case, how this will affect mankind’s future.

      The use of machines dates relatively far back in history when humans invented the abacus which aided them with mathematical calculations.  These early machines were simple, but eventually lead to the first electronic machines which included calculators.  It wasn’t until the 1940’s that electronic calculators were created, and these machines had very limited capabilities.  Basic mathematical operations could be done flawlessly, and that was the extent of the machines’ capabilities.  People soon began to realize that programs could be written using only math and logic which has led to the modern era of computer programming.

      Computers are currently capable of much more complex reasoning than in the past.  They are far superior to humans in many of today’s jobs because of their precision.  Machines are used to guide missiles through the air, to make exact cuts during surgery, and perform many other jobs which trained professionals would not be able to do as well.  The only feature which machines are still lacking is the creative aspect of intelligence. The computer program Deep Blue was able to defeat the world champion, Garry Kasparov, at a game of chess, but if asked to pick which is better, a hot dog or a hamburger, the program would not be able to answer.  This aspect of intelligence is what machines need to achieve in order to function with human-like intelligence.

      Let’s say for a moment that machines could think and function like humans.  The machines would be programmed to be perfect.  They would have no flaws and would be able to do everything much better than humans.  At this point, what would be the function of humans?  What could humans possibly do that machines could not?  Would the machines that we had once constructed out of inanimate objects have a need for humans if they could think at this level?

      Although this is entirely speculation, there is some truth to it that is already occurring.  Because machines can do many functions much better than humans, people are losing jobs because they can be replaced by a machine which does much better work and does not need to be paid.  In fifty years, many of today’s jobs in the fields of math and science might be taken by machines since they will be much more intelligent. With numerous theories about the future of artificial intelligence, the only thing that people can do is wait to see what future technology brings.

 
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