The field of Artificial Intelligence is still one of the faster-growing aspects of technological development. AI is showing up all over the place, driving robots that replace some human workers and allowing for breakthroughs in everything from DNA research to online security. But ever since this technology picked up a head of steam in terms of real-world applications, one question has always lurked in the background. When will AI actually be “intelligent” in the same way that the human brain operates? (Or at least some human brains these days, anyway.) Will we ever make the leap from what is essentially just an unbelievably fast computer to a machine capable of original thought, known as general artificial intelligence or super artificial intelligence? That still hasn’t happened, at least that we know of. But one group of researchers appears to be signaling that we may not need to get there. The new hot fad in this field is “industrial AI.” And the focus isn’t on developing some sort of artificial consciousness. It may simply be good enough if it can solve lots of problems faster than we can. This focus is being described as shifting our attention “from intelligence to achievement.” (ZD Net)

For a couple of generations of scientists contemplating AI, the question of whether “true” or “human” intelligence could be achieved was always an important part of the work.

AI may now be at a turning point where such questions matter less and less to most people.

The emergence of something called industrial AI in recent years may signal an end to such lofty preoccupations. AI has more capability today than at any time in the 66 years since the term AI was first coined by computer scientist John McCarthy. As a result, the industrialization of AI is shifting the focus from intelligence to achievement.

Some of the uses that industrial AI is already being put to are making a splash in the worlds of business and science. The linked report speaks of AI being used to perform “protein folding,” which is allowing huge advances in the field of biology. Artificial Intelligence text generation programs are replacing human beings in the field of customer service because they can not only access more information for customers far more quickly, but they can mimic a human correspondent well enough to fool most people.

None of these algorithms are going to pass the Turing test any time soon and there’s no indication that they are capable of original thought. But they can compile and analyze massive amounts of data faster than anything that’s come before them. And with any luck, none of them will “wake up” any time soon and decide that the humans who built them are the real problem that needs to be solved.

Fantastically speedy and “smart” AI is already delivering another breakthrough that’s being seen as somewhat more controversial. Scientists are using AI to “speak” to animals after analyzing their own languages. And this includes honeybees. (The Sun)

HUMANS are one step closer to talking to animals as new technologies are allowing artificial intelligence-enabled robots to speak with different species.

Karen Bakker, a professor at the University of British Columbia, recently revealed this technology is being used to communicate with honeybees, dolphins and elephants and offered up a warning regarding the development.

“Now, this raises a very serious ethical question, because the ability to speak to other species sounds intriguing and fascinating, but it could be used either to create a deeper sense of kinship, or a sense of dominion and manipulative ability to domesticate wild species that we’ve never as humans been able to previously control,” Bakker said in an interview published with Vox.

So why would this be controversial? It turns out that researchers have already developed a miniature robot encoded with the language that it deciphered from honeybees and sent it into some hives. The robot was able to command all of the real bees to stop moving or to fly toward a particular destination. That sounds like something out of a science fiction movie, right? But ethicists are asking if we should be allowed to take control of entire hives of bees in that fashion.

Other animals may be next. Would you really want an interface that allowed you to communicate directly with your pets? What if it turns out that your dog is actually unhappy and thinks you’re kind of a jerk? And I don’t even want to consider what the cats are thinking. I’m sure it involves plotting to kill me at some point.

So are we still going too far with Artificial Intelligence, even if it’s not going to “wake up” one of these days? Even some relatively “dumb” AI might get out of control and do something totally unexpected. And a few hives of bees could turn out to be a powerful weapon in the wrong hands.