Page 136 - Concise Encyclopedia of Robotics
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Futurist
Most futurists agree that robots will become more sophisticated, and
more commonplace, as time goes by. There is some question as to exactly
what form the robots will take.While it is fun to daydream about androids,
these are often not the most practical and functional robots.
There is theoretically unlimited potential in AI. In practice, however,
things have moved more slowly than futurists of the twentieth century
hoped. Reasoning processes are incredibly complex. Some futurists believe
that all human thought processes can be broken down into interactions
among particles of matter. If this is true, then it is technically possible
(although difficult) to build a computer that is as smart as, or smarter
than, a human being. Other scientists are convinced that human thought
involves factors that cannot be defined or replicated in purely material
terms. If this is the case, then a computer with superhuman intelligence
might be impossible to build.
Science-fiction authors have historically told stories about machines
and scenarios,many of which have later become reality to a greater or lesser
extent. For this reason, science-fiction writers have been called futurists.
