"Sweet Dreams" - Elon Musk"s Periodic Reminder Of The Coming AI Apocalypse

Elon Musk just gave people a powerful and eerie visual related to his belief that Artificial Intelligence (AI) could usher in a SkyNet style apocalypse where the machines take over and kill us all. In a talk given last July, Musk said, “I keep sounding the alarm bell but until people see robots going down the street killing people, they don’t know how to react because it seems so ethereal."

On Sunday Musk took to twitter to vividly illustrate his point, retweeting a creepy viral video which showcases the DARPA-funded Boston Dynamics "Atlas" military robot"s astounding ability to do a back flip - something which researchers have called "bonkers" for the shocking and unexpected compounding leaps in development of humanoid robot technology that Atlas represents. 

Musk commented on the original "we dead" tweet with the ominous warning: "This is nothing. In a few years, that bot will move so fast you"ll need a strobe light to see it. Sweet dreams..." 

And he followed with another tweet accompanied by the 90"s hip-hop song "Regulate" emphasizing his oft-repeated message that AI is a "public risk" that must be regulated: "Got to regulate AI/robotics like we do food, drugs, aircraft & cars. Public risks require public oversight. Getting rid of the FAA wouldn’t make flying safer. They’re there for good reason."

This is nothing. In a few years, that bot will move so fast you’ll need a strobe light to see it. Sweet dreams… https://t.co/0MYNixQXMw

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 26, 2017

we dead pic.twitter.com/lUys7DptdZ

— alex medina (@mrmedina) November 16, 2017

Got to regulate AI/robotics like we do food, drugs, aircraft & cars. Public risks require public oversight. Getting rid of the FAA wdn’t make flying safer. They’re there for good reason.https://t.co/6OXZC3UdMW

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 26, 2017

In a recent Rolling Stone interview Musk told Neuralink staff after showing them a documentary on AI, “Maybe there"s a five to 10 percent chance of success [of making AI safe].” He"s long emphasized that governments need to "proactively" regulate and monitor advances in artificial intelligence before it"s too late, as the technology poses "a fundamental existential risk for human civilization."

Rolling Stone"s summation of Musk"s words to the Neuralink crew points out that, "the problem with building something that"s smarter than you is ... that it"s smarter than you. Add to that the fact that AI has no remorse, no morality, no emotions – and humanity may be in deep shit. This is the good son"s second chance against the remorseless father he couldn"t change."

He further admitted to the group that he invested in DeepMind - the British AI research company acquired by Google in 2014 - with the aim of keeping an eye on Google’s development of AI. "There"s a lot of risk in concentration of power. So if AGI [artificial general intelligence] represents an extreme level of power, should that be controlled by a few people at Google with no oversight?" Musk told Rolling Stone. 

And Musk"s instincts appear to be correct, as DeepMind itself proudly defines its purpose on its website as follows: "We’re on a scientific mission to push the boundaries of AI." Such personal monitoring of the industry is what Musk referenced in a previous talk in July when he said, "I have exposure to the most cutting-edge AI and I think people should be really concerned about it." 

Meanwhile, it appears that Musk"s "sweet dreams" tweet regarding DARPA/Boston Dynamics" back flipping humanoid military robot hints at the future possibility that such a mind-numbingly advanced and capable machine is a prime example of just the type of robot, when equipped with AI, that will do us all in. As one researcher, commenting on the significance of the pre-back flip/post-back flip threshold, characterizes:

But I think we"re in a new robotic age now. There was a time before Atlas could do backflips, back when robots were for factories, bomb disposal, vacuuming, and the occasional gimmick, and none of the useful ones were humanoids. Now we"re living in an era where humanoid robots are apparently as agile as we are. So what will they be used for? It’s time to get out the popcorn.

Or ask Musk might point out, it will be too late to get out the popcorn as it will already be "lights out/sweet dreams" on the end of humanity from the moment such a super bot comes online and goes conscious.

Can You Do A Backflip? Because This Robot Can

Since being founded in 1992 with funding from DARPA, robotics company Boston Dynamics has unveiled one nightmarish robotic creation after another. But the company outdid itself this week when it introduced the latest iteration of its ‘Atlas’ robot.

The company caused a stir after publishing a video on YouTube showing the hulking humanoid robot jumping across platforms of varying heights and even perform backflips on command - some of the most advanced capabilities demonstrated by any bipedal robot.

If you’re wondering how this seemingly trivial ability portends imminent warfare between mankind and the machines, then you need to ask yourself: When was the last time you did a standing backflip?

Unless you’re a gymnast, the answer is probably never.

Unsurprisingly, the video inspired a cascade of commentary about humanity’s impending obsolescence:

 

we dead pic.twitter.com/lUys7DptdZ

— alex medina (@mrmedina) November 16, 2017

 

 

The robots are evolving into crossfit bros https://t.co/SOO9bvuoHU

— Turkducklephant (@despoondent) November 17, 2017

 

Though apparently there are still some mundane tasks that Atlas has not yet mastered...

 

Don"t worry too much about your jobs if you saw that robot doing a backflip - this is the same lad trying to stack a shelf pic.twitter.com/L8vkn91UBD

— Mike Bird (@Birdyword) November 17, 2017

 

Boston Dynamics also made headlines earlier this week by introducing a polished dog-like robot that sits somewhere along the slope of Freud’s "Valley of the Uncanny"...

The robot is called the SpotMini. The company has released few details about it other than a promotional video showing it trotting across a grassy field and the teaser text “Coming Soon”.

Meanwhile, an international group of scientists have seemingly taken a cue from Elon Musk and are demanding that governments take steps to regulate automated lethal weapons systems before the technology comes into its own, purportedly to prevent the plot of the Terminator series from unfolding in real life.

It’s been a big week for the robots, sure. However, while humanoid robots like Atlas are becoming more adept at completing tasks in the physical world, their cousins on Wall Street still can’t quite figure out how to buy the fucking dip.

 

New lifesize hunter-seeker robot performs like a ninja, even does backflips

The latest version of “Atlas” is quite impressive and could be dangerous in the wrong hands, hackers, terrorists, etc.

(INTELLIHUB) — We have not even made it to the ‘rise of the machines’ era yet and already technology is getting quite scary, to say the least.

A good example is Boston Dynamics latest model of the “Atlas” robot which can hop, skip, and jump. Oh, did I mention Atlas does backflips too?

But what happens when this technology gets into the wrong hands one day? Or better yet, imagine fully robotic police forces, security dogs, guards, etc. They can all be hacked! It could go on and on.

The rise of the machines is almost here people. Brace yourselves!

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Boston Dynamics Unveils Its Latest "Nightmare-Inducing" Robot

One year ago, when we showed readers the SkyNet-like robots produced by Boston Dynamics, a company acquired by Google in 2013 (which then tried to flip it to Toyota last year but reportedly failed)  we called the robotic creations "terrifying." Little did we know that compared to Boston Dynamics" next spawn, that particular batch was downright Johnny 5-friendly by comparison. Because after being briefly shown off at an event early this month, the robotic designed has officially revealed its latest creation, “Handle,” which the company’s founder previously described as “nightmare-inducing."

Four weeks ago, Boston Dynamics - which is best known for its bipedal and quadrupedal robots - revealed it had been experimenting with some radical new tech: the wheel. The company named its new wheeled, upright robot is named Handle (“because it’s supposed to handle objects”) and looks like a cross between a Segway and the two-legged Atlas bot according to the Verge. Handle, which had not been officially unviled yet, was shown off by company founder Marc Raibert in a presentation to investors. Footage of the presentation was uploaded to YouTube by venture capitalist Steve Jurvetson.

Creating a more efficient robot that can, pardon the pun, handle basic tasks like moving objects around a warehouse would certainly be of benefit for Boston Dynamics. Although the company has consistently wowed the public with its robots, it’s struggled to produce a commercial product that’s ready for the real world. That may soon change.

Raibert described Handle as an “experiment in combining wheels with legs, with a very dynamic system that is balancing itself all the time and has a lot of knowledge of how to throw its weight around.” He added that using wheels is more efficient than legs, although there’s obviously a trade-off in terms of maneuvering over uneven ground.

“This is the debut presentation of what I think will be a nightmare-inducing robot,” said Raibert.

He wasn"t kidding: as the video below reveals, Handle is officially about 6 foot 5, weights about 100lbs, and can roll around at around 9 mph, while preserving perfect balance and even engaging in complex aerial acrobatics: Handle can keep its balance over rough terrain, and can even jump 4 feet in the air, as well as going down stairs without an issue.

While we are confident Amazon will promptly order a few thousands of these to bring even more streamline automation and efficiency to its behemoth warehouses while putting countless part-time workers out of work, we don"t know if to dread or yearn for the moment when RoboHandle emerges in a quiet patrol of your neighborhood street, armed and ready to use lethal force, and gradually replacing the local police force around the country.