A Question of Intelligence: the rise of the smart machines
Radio Documentary — Factual / Current Affairs
Topics: Technology / Artificial Intelligence / Philosophy
Presenter / Producer: Max Burnell
Music: Ars Sonar, Poor Alexi, Seazo, Glass Boy (Used under CC license with attribution)
Program Summary:
Should we fear our smart machines?
Just how smart are computers anyway?
A Question of Intelligence: the rise of the smart machines is a radio current affairs documentary that explores the development, current uses and potential direction of Artificial Intelligence or AI. Journalist Max Burnell takes us on a journey from AI’s inception in the great mind of computer pioneer Alan Turing and guides us through the current uses of smart machines in music, language and autonomous vehicles. The programme consults a series of experts and prolific academics and asks if there is reason to fear AI; as Stephen Hawking, Bill Gates and Elon Musk suggest.
Background Information:
People have been thinking of machines with intelligence since the philosophers of ancient Greece. Yet the contemporary origins of artificial intelligence can be traced back to the great mathematician and computing pioneer Alan Turing. Turing is widely Considered to be the godfather of modern computing and his work inspired by a chess playing algorithm paved the way for the science of engineering intelligent machines. It was in his initial conception of AI that Turing considered the question “Can a machine think?”. This thought led to the establishment of what would later be known as ‘the Turing test’ in which one must determine through conversation whether one is speaking to a machine or a fellow human. Turing thought this would happen by the end of the century. It has yet to be passed.
From the lofty ambition of early pioneers came the realisation that engineering AI was a momentous challenge. Visual recognition, movement and language; thought to be easily attainable goals are only very recently coming to any fruition at all. Indeed, chess wasn’t beaten until 1997 with the victory of IBM’s Deep Blue programme over then world champion Gary Kasperov.
Since then, improvements in computer hardware and breakthroughs in learning techniques like neural networks have led to AI beginning to make some significant advances. Driverless cars and Google’s victory in the complex board game ‘Go’ have been hailed as huge successes for AI. These advances have led many prolific thinkers such as Stephen Hawking, Bill Gates and Elon Musk to warn of the dangers of continued AI improvement.
Some experts predict that continued advances will eventually lead to human level general intelligence. In the field this is known as ‘true’, ‘full’ or ‘real’ AI and the moment at which we might reach this goal is referred to as the technological singularity — a term borrowed from Physics. Some predict that once this is attained we could see an exponential growth in AI as computers iteratively improve themselves to far surpass human intelligence. This theory is known as the ‘Intelligence Explosion’ — a term coined by one of Turing’s associate I.J Good. (a summary of this line of thinking can be heard in the extended interview with Professor Anders Sandberg below)
Nonsense say the other half of the divided scientific community who believe that AI will forever lag behind human intelligence. This is due to a number of philosophical ideas about the nature of knowledge and understanding. This supposes that true intelligence is dependent on embodied phenomenological experience. This line of thinking is influenced by philosopher John Searle with his famous ‘Chinese room argument’. (Searle’s argument can be heard in the extended interview with Professor Mark Bishop below)
External Content
Thor Magnusson’s AI Music
Listen to Thor Magnusson’s Music made with AI techniques.
Chat with Cleverbot
Speak to the chatboat ‘Cleverbot’
GATEWAY Project
Keep up with the latest news on the autonomous vehicles project in Greenwich London.
Contributors and extended audio content
Want to find out more? with more than 7 hours of extended audio content discover more from each of the programme’s contributors. Download as a podcast to take with you when you go.
Prof. Mark Bishop
Position(s): Professor of cognitive computing at Goldsmiths University of London. Former chair of the AISB Society (Artificial Intelligence and the Simulation of Behaviour) — the world’s oldest society for the study of AI.
Expertise: Computer Programming / Artificial Intelligence / Cybernetics / Philosophy
Dr Thor Magnusson
Position(s): Lecturer in Music and Convenor of Music Technology at the University of Sussex / co-founder of ixi audio (www.ixi-audio.net) / Digital Music Producer.
Expertise: Music Technology / Digital Music Production / Generative Music / Computer programming
Rollo Carpenter
Position(s): Managing Director of Existor Ltd, Author of Cleverbot and Cleverscript computer software.
Expertise: Computer Programming / Computer Learning
Nick Reed
Position(s): Academy Director at the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL), Technical lead of the GATEway autonomous vehicles project.
Expertise: AI Systems operation
Dr. Sophie vonn Stumm
Position(s): Lecturer in Psychology & lab director of the hungry mind lab at Goldsmiths University of London.
Expertise: Intelligence studies / cognitive difference.
Prof. Anders Sandberg
Position(s): Research Fellow at the future of Humanity Institute at the University of Oxford, Former Professor of Computational Neuroscience at Stockholm University.
Expertise: computer science / neuroscience / medical engineering
Prof. Luciano Floridi
Position(s): Professor of Philosophy and Ethics of Information at the University of Oxford / Director of Research at the Oxford Internet Institute / President elect of the International Society for the Study of Information / Editor-in-Chief of Philosophy & Technology / Former UNESCO Chair in Information and Computer Ethics and Research / Former Chief Policy Advisor to Google.
Expertise: Information and computer ethics / Philosophy of information / Philosophy of technology
