skip to main content
opinion
Free Access

Smart machines are not a threat to humanity

Published:23 January 2017Publication History
Skip Abstract Section

Abstract

Worrying about machines that are too smart distracts us from the real and present threat from machines that are too dumb.

References

  1. Cellan-Jones, R. Stephen Hawking warns artificial intelligence could end mankind. BBC Interview, (Dec. 2014); http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-30290540.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  2. Davis, E. and Marcus, G. Commonsense reasoning and commonsense knowledge in artificial intelligence. Commun. ACM 58, 9 (Sept. 2015), 92--103. Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  3. Dietterich, T.G. and Horvitz, E.J. Rise of concerns about AI: Reflections and directions. Commun. ACM 58, 10 (Oct. 2015), 38--40. Google ScholarGoogle ScholarDigital LibraryDigital Library
  4. Good, I.J. Speculations concerning the first ultra-intelligent machine. Advances in Computers 6 (1965).Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  5. Kurzweil, R. The Singularity is Near. Penguin Group, 2005, 135--136.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  6. Sloman, A. Exploring design space and niche space. In Proceeding of the 5th Scandinavian Conference on AI. IOS Press, Amsterdam, 1995.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  7. Susskind, R. and Susskind, D. The Future of the Professions: How Technology Will Transform the Work of Human Experts. OUP Oxford, 2015.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  8. Ulam, S. Tribute to John von Neumann. Bulletin of the American Mathematical Society 64, 3, part 2) (May 1958), 1--49.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  9. Vardi, M.Y. The future of work: but what will humans do? Commun. ACM 58, 12 (Dec. 2015).Google ScholarGoogle Scholar
  10. Warwick, K. March of The Machines. University of Illinois Press, 2004.Google ScholarGoogle Scholar

Index Terms

  1. Smart machines are not a threat to humanity

    Recommendations

    Comments

    Login options

    Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution to get full access on this article.

    Sign in

    Full Access

    • Published in

      cover image Communications of the ACM
      Communications of the ACM  Volume 60, Issue 2
      February 2017
      106 pages
      ISSN:0001-0782
      EISSN:1557-7317
      DOI:10.1145/3042068
      • Editor:
      • Moshe Y. Vardi
      Issue’s Table of Contents

      Copyright © 2017 Owner/Author

      Permission to make digital or hard copies of part or all of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for third-party components of this work must be honored. For all other uses, contact the Owner/Author.

      Publisher

      Association for Computing Machinery

      New York, NY, United States

      Publication History

      • Published: 23 January 2017

      Check for updates

      Qualifiers

      • opinion
      • Popular
      • Un-reviewed

    PDF Format

    View or Download as a PDF file.

    PDF

    eReader

    View online with eReader.

    eReader

    HTML Format

    View this article in HTML Format .

    View HTML Format