failed Essay, r9k

English
Ms. X
8 May 2018

Will Smith, Robot Love

Since the dawn of time, we have faced one major issue among our species and within our
societies: the inherent irrationality of human beings. As we continue to grow technologically, we
are becoming increasingly reliant on the people at the top to make good decisions, decisions
regarding how we live, how we eat, how we use transportation, what our children are taught in
schools, and so on. This places an enormous weight on the shoulders of people who are
inevitably going to make mistakes.
For somebody to make a good decision, they must be wise, rational, and intelligent. They
must have access to as much relevant information as possible, and they need to be able to
evaluate the information critically and with compassion and reason. As life increases in its
complexity, so do the decisions that need to be made. This presents a big problem for our society
in the near future, because things could quickly spiral out of our control and cause irreparable
damage to many lives.
The problem relates to organization, and many attempts have been made to create the
perfect system. A wide variety of government and economic structures have been experimented
with, and nearly all of them have had dire consequences. From communism to capitalism,

totalitarianism to anarchism-- in one way or another they are all flawed, and the reason is
because they are ultimately controlled by people.
This problem is perfectly solvable, because we can use technology to eliminate the need
for human involvement in the decision-making process.
The solution is to create an advanced AI capable of gathering, analyzing, and evaluating
data all on its own. In addition to this, it will have the ability to implement decisions after
running simulations and determining the best course of action based on the results.
The AI will be in a secret underground bunker thousands of feet below the surface in a
remote location that nobody would ever want to go to, such as Antarctica or Scottsdale, Arizona.
This will prevent any human intervention and allow the machine to operate in complete isolation.
This last point is crucial, because if we allow anyone to meddle with the machine's calculations,
then that could put the whole project at risk. A malicious person could inject a virus to
manipulate the machine's code and influence the decisions it makes. To deter this kind of thing
from happening, I also propose that some kind of electro-fence be built around the actual
machine. This fence will shock anybody who tries to do something funny with the robot and
send them crying home to their momma. Also, I think a bunch of black and brown dogs should
be placed around the surface entrance to the bunker just to scare people who get too close to it.
Government and economic functions should be automated by AI because it will
eventually overtake us in terms of raw intelligence and decision-making ability.
Artificial intelligence is quickly advancing, and it won't be long before it exceeds the human
capability to make rational decisions. Some might contest that AI will never reach that point--
Matt Mason, director of the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon, disagrees with this sentiment.

"I can't name anything offhand that humans can do that machines will never, ever be able to do".
Well, he's from the robotics institute so I think he knows a thing or two about robots. His word is
as good as gold and don't even try to argue against that.
AI has already surpassed us in many different areas.
"The popular TV game show “Jeopardy” inspired a spirited public debate over just how
intelligent computers can be when on Feb. 16, 2011, IBM's Watson supercomputer thrashed the
top-two all-time “Jeopardy” champions in the final edition of a special three-episode
competition. In fact, Watson earned three times as much money as its human competitors."
If computers can beat us in Jeopardy, then it only makes sense to hand over control of our
government to them. Jeopardy is a simple yet complex game, requiring exceptional reasoning
ability and a good memory. Robots will eclipse us in almost every way within the next century,
if not sooner. They can already beat us in Jeopardy and at chess. We need to start making
preparations for the inevitable AI masterminds that will control everything. If we put it off for
too long, we might blow humanity up with nukes before we can save ourselves, and I don't think
anybody wants that.
Some people might not like the idea of a robot controlling every facet of their life. They
aren't convinced that robots could truly reach the same level of awareness as human beings. John
Searle is one of these people, arguing that "true human consciousness can only be generated by a
biological brain. In addition, Searle and others argue, the brain is so complicated and mysterious
that it is unlikely ever to be replicated in any meaningful way." The skepticism of AI lays in this
root issue, because if it can't perfectly replicate the human brain, then it also won't be able to
exceed its capabilities, and therefore the idea of a 'conscious AI' is a futile one. This is a point

that I concede completely, although I still think we should give it a shot because I think
everything should be tried at least once. It's worth a shot, and it's a shot in the dark, but it's the
only shot we've got left, and you miss every shot that you don't take.
Conclusively, I think it's safe to say that the best option we have is to put all our eggs in
one basket, and that's the robotic basket... but only time will tell us if it's the right thing to do. Or
will it? You decide!


Works Cited (deleted)