Robots with Consciousness: The Real Danger of a Global Matrix-Style Control
As the rate of technology development is growing at a fully unprecedented rate, the idea of autonomous robots mimicking human-like behaviors and traits globally ceased being science fiction long ago. One such dreamer, David Hanson, when developing his famous humanoid robot named Sophia, translates his ideas into action, which has been sparking critical discussions related to the future of AI and the threats it could bring upon the human race. In this article, the author takes the reader through some dark theories and other shocking truths with respect to the manufacture of autonomous robots and their potential roles in establishing a worldwide network of control—not different, really, from the Matrix system where machines are able to simulate human life.
The Theory of Emerging Consciousness in Robots
The most unsettling theory behind the development of robots like Sophia is that one day these machines may actually develop into conscious beings. Although experts think this is still far away from theorists being able to create a conscious machine, it is said that AI may begin to exhibit emerging behaviors mimicking self-awareness as systems actually grow increasingly complex. This would be a prospect which will blur not only our understanding of intelligence but also the line separating human cognition from machine simulation.
And as the robots get even better at imitating human emotions and decisions, such ethical considerations just keep piling on. What if a machine were actually to act as if it did have a will of its own? The semblance of consciousness brings with it some existential problems: Can a perfectly simulated mind be any less of a mind than an actual one? That could radically change our rapport with technology, taking us into areas of ethical and social concern that are mostly unexplored.