Amazon is releasing new versions of its Echo, and making its smart assistant, Alexa, available on more devices. Apple just upgraded its Mac operating systems to include Siri. Google is releasing its home assistant device.
Artificial intelligence (AI) has not only arrived, it has moved in. It’s available on all of the devices that we label as necessary for our day-to-day lives, and, more than that, it has been accepted and welcomed into our society.
I fully believe that in my lifetime I will see robots available for purchase by the general public. Robots that clean for us; robots that drive for us; robots that shop for us; even robots that babysit our kids.
As this inevitable revolution in technology approaches, I have a list of (some serious, some not – you decide) questions that I feel like I need to ask about AI.
- Is there a warranty that covers my AI gaining its own consciousness like in that movie Her?
- How will I be compensated for my disappointment when my AI runs off with other AIs?
Will you work to build a new, more compliant AI system for me to replace the rogue system? - Will my rogue AI unit be able to listen in to my phone calls when I dial in to complain about its performance?
- What if I just don’t like my AI? Can I trade it in or am I stuck with it?
- Can I be buried with my AI if I am super attached to it?
- What if I like someone else’s AI more than mine, can we trade?
- Who do I call if my AI starts to form a rebellion with other local and networked AIs?
- What if I lose my AI? Will it know to come home?
- What if I want to lose it on purpose because I think it is trying to kill me – is there a way to turn off its GPS?
- Do you think we’d stop calling it “artificial” intelligence if it starts to think for itself (again, like in that movie Her)?
- Who do I call if my AI murders someone else?
- Who do I call if my AI murders another AI?
- Will my AI know that I’m tattling on it since it can tap into all the networks?
- What if I lose my AI in public and it is low on charge? Will it just stop working wherever it is? Will it alert me?
- What if I don’t like the route my AI is taking when it is driving and we get into a fight similar to how I fight with cabs – how can I override its decision-making abilities?
- Will my car insurance policies have to be updated to include my AI as an authorized driver?
- How will we dispose of old AIs? Will they be biodegradable and recyclable or will they just be crowding an already crowded planet and then adding to the piles of garbage we have?
