Sun, 19 Jul 1998 12:06:15 -0700 (PDT) Date: Sun, 19 Jul 1998 12:06:15 -0700 (PDT) From: Franklin Wayne Poley Subject: The Future of Workfare 2/2. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Sun, 19 Jul 1998 11:46:45 -0700 (PDT) From: Franklin Wayne Poley To: tradeandconvention@onelist.com comments@discovery.ca, futureworld@toronto.cbc.ca Subject: Autonomous Robot Space Program? I put this extreme possibility in my sig file for a reason. It tests our understanding of the potential in AI-Robotics. Let's logic it out. If robots can be programmed to "sit down and think out" how to launch themselves into space, there isn't much limit otherwise to what they can do. So can they? Can learning-communicating-evolving-autonomous-self repairing and self replicationg robots develop a successful space program? Obviously they can if all of these qualities are manifested to the extreme. Next question-how far do you think each of these parameters has been developed to date? What would you expect of them in 10 years? 100 years? Given that tens of billions of dollars have gone into military secret budgets in the US alone, given that the US military has pioneered Robosurgeon (with Colonel Chris Kaufman as its master and TV spokesman) what do you think the militaries have in the way of advanced secret robotics programs? My opinion is that intelligent machines will be able to do everything which constitutes work to-day some time in C21. The social-political-economic implications of that are staggering. Think of it. Some time in C21 we will see the theme of the 1926 Chris Lang movie "Metropolis" come to realization. What happens between now and then? Is government policy in that in between time going to be that of sharing the benefits of automation or marginalizing billions to become "workfare slaves"? So far it has been the latter! That is why I have been appealing to Premier Clark to make the T&C Project in Vancouver Harbour into a very public demonstration of robots in action. There nothing short of Armageddon to stop the "Robotic Future" of C21. What better way to start learning about how to live with intelligent machines than to put the best of them into place at T&C. Imagine Robobartenders, Robowaiters, Robojanitors, Roboreceptionists etc. Given a very visible but limited start on complete automation for the project it will be easier to visualize the next step in robot evolution, and the next.... It will concentrate public thinking on what intelligent machines are about and how mankind should manage them and deal with them in C21. The Roboworkers of T&C will be continually evolving and improving in public. Robotics-AI is still much too hidden from the public; almost an occult science. My proposal for T&C is one way to make this field very public, very fast. And as for that AI brain at the T&C, who knows? Maybe some day it will figure out how to launch itself into Space! FWP. *** Think locally-Act globally. Can the AI unit of a shoreline megafloat think of a way to launch itself into Space? To subscribe to send one word, subscribe, in an email body to ***