Statements by Eric Horvitz, head of Microsoft Research
Progress in the field of research into Artificial Intelligence is accompanied by many concerns among many scientists and intellectuals, who are concerned about the possibility of a "machine uprising" that could "dethrone" Humanity from its position as the dominant species on our planet.
However, the head of Microsoft Research, Eric Horvitz, is not one of them: according to him, it is not unlikely that Artificial Intelligence systems will someday acquire consciousness, but he believes that this would not pose a threat to human life.
Eric Horvitz's views were expressed in an online video about his awarding of the AAAI Feigenbaum Prize, which is about progress in the field of Artificial Intelligence.
As he revealed, more than a quarter of his research unit's total attention and resources are focused on activities related to Artificial Intelligence (A.I.).
"There are concerns about the prospect that in the long term we might lose control of some kinds of intelligence. Fundamentally, I believe that is not going to happen.".
I think we will be extremely active in terms of using A.I. systems, and that in the end we will be able to have incredible benefits from machine intelligence in every aspect of life, from science to education, the economy and everyday life.”.
As reported in a relevant BBC report, Eric Horvitz leads a team of over 1,000 scientists and engineers in Microsoft's research wing.
His department's work helped in the "genesis" of Cortana - the voice-controlled virtual assistant that "runs" on Windows Phone and is soon expected to arrive on desktop systems, along with Windows 10.
Eric Horvitz believes Cortana and its competitors will help further advance the field. “The next, if not the last, ongoing battleground between the big tech companies will be artificial intelligence.
The concept of systems that can think, listen, collect data from thousands of user experiences... has come to the fore now.
We have Cortana, Siri and Google Now setting up a competitive tournament to see who will come up with the best 'intelligent' assistant...and this kind of competition will intensify research and investment, and bring them more to the fore.".
Many influential figures in the fields of technology and science have expressed concerns, including billionaire Elon Musk, of SpaceX and Tesla Motors, Stephen Hawking and Sir Clive Sinclair, creator of the Spectrum computer.
Also, the issue has been found many times in cinema, television, literature and electronic games, with typical examples being "Terminator", "Battlestar Galactica", but also "Ex Machina", "Transcendence", "Almost Human", "Avengers: Age of Ultron", "Mass Effect", "Chappie", "Her" and many other works (films, series, books, games) of science fiction.
Source: naftemporiki.gr
