The possibility of A.I. going rogue is more than just science fiction

The thought of artificial intelligence causing destructive harm may seem impossible outside of movies like The Terminator, but it is more plausible than many people think. Despite these future risks, ASU is failing at its obligation to teach programming ethics. Currently, ASU's computer ethics class is not a graduation requirement for computer science majors, allowing thousands of newly minted computer scientists to enter the industry without knowledge of potential consequences.

The field of A.I. is already incredibly advanced, and there are many cases where A.I. can consistently beat humans at intellectual tasks. As early as 1997, IBM's Deep Blue defeated the No. 1 chess player in the world, Garry Kasparov, and in 2011, Watson beat the 74-time reigning 'Jeopardy!' champion. A.I. like Deep Blue and Watson are hard-coded with the strategy they use, minimizing the risk of harm. However, even this type of autonomous decision making can lead to catastrophe.

6th February 2018