Mind and Machine, Part 2

Computers can defeat grandmasters at chess and trump the best trivia-hounds at Jeopardy!. Today they can help us navigate the drive home; soon they'll be doing the driving for us. Sixty years ago, Artificial Intelligence - "AI" - was in its infancy. Now it promises to transform our world beyond recognition. In this two part series, science journalist Dan Falk explores the new promise and peril of intelligent machines

Listen to Part 1 of Mind & Machine


The field of Artificial Intelligence, or A.I., has been making slow but steady progress over the last 50 years. But that progress might not be slow for much longer. Moore's Law states that computing power doubles roughly every 18 months. Some researchers believe that A.I. is also increasing at an exponential rate. In fact, they think we might be heading for an "intelligence explosion"

The consequences of this intelligence explosion could be monumental Intelligent machines could become ubiquitous. When that happens - if that happens - what will become of old-fashioned human intelligence?

Looking further ahead, we might wonder if Homo sapiens has what it takes to survive in this brave new world. Will these super-intelligent machines mean the end of humanity? Or, perhaps, the beginning of a new phase of humanity?


Participants in the Part 2

Daniel Dewey, Future of Humanity Institute, University of Oxford.

Andrew McAfee, Centre for Digital Business, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Joanna Bryson, University of Bath (England).

Hans Moravec, computer scientist, roboticist, and futurist.