US EUROPE AFRICA ASIA 中文
    Business / Technology

    NYT reporter says robots are coming, but human jobs are safe

    (Xinhua) Updated: 2016-01-25 08:16

    NYT reporter says robots are coming, but human jobs are safe

    A robot made in China is displayed at the World Robot Conference 2015, which opened in Beijing on Nov 21, 2015. The conference has attracted more than 100 experts. [Photo/China Daily]

    BEIJING -- A new wave of artificial intelligence (AI) could fundamentally change the world, with driverless cars navigating through traffic jams, celebrity avatars chatting with fans on Twitter and robot caregivers and companions in nursing homes.

    This is the far-off future as presented by Pulitzer-winning New York Times tech reporter John Markoff in his new book, "Machines of Loving Grace," in which the longtime observer of Silicon Valley discusses how humans can cope with the advent of the AI era.

    "In the coming years, artificial intelligence and robotics will have an impact on the world more dramatic than the changes personal computing and the Internet have brought in the past three decades," Markoff writes. In an interview with Xinhua in Beijing, Markoff said people should reflect on whether machines will steal human jobs and whether they can be trusted and given autonomy.

    Some changes are right around the corner. Markoff said the mankind might soon face robots that can mimic human emotions convincingly. "Imagine a Jennifer Lawrence avatar on Facebook or WeChat that can chat with you all day," he said, citing software developed by an Israeli company to emulate celebrities.

    Markoff said technology will make use of people's anthropomorphizing tendencies to treat everything as human, "these robots can easily fool us into believing we are dealing with real people -- a worrisome trend in the writer's eyes."

    "You tend to trust these machines, but you don't know what their motives or goals are," Markoff said, pointing to new social problems that could arise when socially astute robots are employed, for instance, by the advertising world to sell products.

    Humans still in control

    For many other AI technologies, Markoff warned against overestimating the speed of change or how quickly they will thwart humans.

    Progress in self-driving cars, for example, may be slower than expected, according to Markoff, who was the first reporter to cover Google's self-driving project.

    The idea of driving without a driver has been so commercially popular that Google, Tesla, and Chinese Internet giant Baidu are all working on developing the technology. However, Markoff said it might take many years to overcome technological barriers and ethical and regulatory problems related to self-driving cars.

    "Cars will increasingly have intelligence and become smarter, but you won't be able to take drivers out in ten years," he said.

    Just as robots are unlikely to grab the wheels from drivers' hands in the near future, Markoff remained skeptical that smarter AI will soon replace human labor, causing mass layoffs.

    Markoff said he is curious about the reactions of Chinese people toward AI, such as Microsoft chat-bot Xiaoice.

    He said the chat-bot seemed more popular in China compared to the West, and Chinese people treated it more as a companion, citing Microsoft data indicating large percentages of Chinese users have texted "I love you" and "Thank you" to Xiaoice.

    "I believe it says something different between our cultures," he said.

    Markoff said aging societies such as China's can expect robots to help tackle their shrinking pool of young workers and an increasing number of elderly people in need of care.

    China has included robotics in its five-year development plan for 2016-2020. Last year, the southern Guangdong province said it would employ robots in about 2,000 companies in three years to tackle its labor shortage, and a nursing home in Shanghai has reportedly introduced chat robots to entertain its elderly residents.

    "Right now, machines are more tools, and we design the tools," he said.

    Markoff said the development of much-needed elder care robots could take a long time. "Now there are no robots that can safely give elderly humans a shower. When will there be such a robot? Nobody can give a date."

    Hot Topics

    Editor's Picks
    ...
    精品无码久久久久久久动漫| 日韩精品无码中文字幕一区二区 | 无码午夜人妻一区二区三区不卡视频| 久久无码人妻精品一区二区三区| 人妻无码αv中文字幕久久琪琪布 人妻无码精品久久亚瑟影视 | 精品无码人妻久久久久久| 最新中文字幕av无码专区| 欧美中文在线视频| 永久免费无码日韩视频| 国产V片在线播放免费无码| 亚洲AV无码乱码国产麻豆| 无码不卡av东京热毛片| 人妻无码αv中文字幕久久| 亚洲中文字幕无码专区| 99久久国产热无码精品免费久久久久| 亚洲av无码无在线观看红杏| 久久久久亚洲AV无码观看| 一本大道香蕉中文日本不卡高清二区| 亚洲精品无码久久不卡| 成人毛片无码一区二区三区| 本免费AV无码专区一区| 国产爆乳无码视频在线观看| 日韩精品人妻系列无码专区 | 亚洲A∨无码一区二区三区 | 免费无码中文字幕A级毛片| 高潮潮喷奶水飞溅视频无码| 十八禁视频在线观看免费无码无遮挡骂过| 最近新中文字幕大全高清| 精品人妻中文av一区二区三区| 中文字幕av无码一区二区三区电影 | 中文字幕日韩精品在线| 亚洲中文字幕伊人久久无码| 日本中文字幕免费高清视频| 亚洲日本欧美日韩中文字幕 | 亚洲AV成人无码久久精品老人| 精品久久久无码人妻中文字幕| 久久午夜福利无码1000合集| 亚洲色偷拍另类无码专区| 亚洲av无码一区二区三区不卡| 无码乱人伦一区二区亚洲一| 国产∨亚洲V天堂无码久久久|