Artificial Intelligence Update

As a departure from my usual posts, here's an interview with Noel Sharkey, who holds the opposite position from me, claiming artificial intelligence will not be developed:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20327231.100-why-ai-is-a-dangerous-dream.html?full=true

However, his claim that sentience "could be a physical system that cannot be recreated by a computer" would require some evidence to support it. So far it seems we've managed to successfully reproduce various portions of the human brain, and there is no evidence that we won't eventually reproduce the rest.

His thinking is also mired in the very short term, using existing examples of AI (such as Deep Blue) as the basis for all AI. But if we do managed to reproduce every functional aspect of the brain on a computer platform (as we are on track to complete within the next few decades at most), we will have AI based on a proven existing model, only capable of taking advantage of the advantages brought by computers.

He also claims, "Like all humans, the elderly need love and human contact, and this often only comes from visiting carers. A robot companion would not fulfil that need for me." Again, this is short-term thinking. Considering that people are even now bonding with the very basic AI we have now, even a non-sentient machine will likely become convincing enough to allow humans to develop sincere friendships and romances with machines.

Concerning military robots, he says, "There is no way for any AI system to discriminate between a combatant and an innocent." Again, not YET. But what evidence is there to think AI will be unable to do as good or a better job than humans over the next decade or two? Humans in combat often behave irrationally; a machine wouldn't have that problem, and thus would be less likely to make such mistakes. Computers are becoming more and more accurate in their ability to discern patterns, and it's reasonable to believe they will eventually be able to distinguish between friend and foe more easily and more quickly than humans.