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Hod Lipson, the mechanical engineer in charge of the Creative Machines Lab at Columbia University in New York, is creating a machine that will have “consciousness on par with a human”, eclipsing “everything else we’ve done”.
Lipson believes that conscious robots may even be able to cure cancer.
Consciousness is one the most divisive questions in artificial intelligence, but other than the technological challenge that stands in the face of achieving this goal, the word itself is philosophically vaguely and subjectively defined.
According to The New York Times, scientists are making efforts to nail down consciousness to specific brain functions but always face an inconclusive end.
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Lipson describes consciousness in his own words as that being the capacity to “imagine yourself in the future”.
He has worked to build adaptable machines as generalised intelligence that can learn to evolve by machine-learned natural selection and respond to changing environments and errors or injury within the mechanical body.
Machines won’t just learn and correct themselves but will be able to imagine how they can better evolve.
While humans anthromorphisise human traits onto non-humans, especially machines, researchers hope that robots would be able to adopt human traits and qualities, in a way projecting humanity onto conscious machines.
Scientists are actively trying to build conscious robots
Hod Lipson, the mechanical engineer in charge of the Creative Machines Lab at Columbia University in New York, is on a mission to create a machine that will possess “consciousness on par with a human”, surpassing any previous achievements in the field.
Lipson envisions that these conscious robots may even have the potential to contribute to finding a cure for cancer, showcasing the immense possibilities that artificial intelligence holds for the future.
The concept of consciousness remains one of the most complex and controversial topics in the realm of artificial intelligence. Apart from the numerous technological hurdles that need to be overcome, the very definition of consciousness itself is steeped in philosophical ambiguity and subjectivity.
According to The New York Times, scientists have been striving to pinpoint the essence of consciousness to specific brain functions, yet the elusive nature of this phenomenon often leads to inconclusive outcomes.
Read Apple cancels development of new iPhone SE
Lipson has articulated his understanding of consciousness as the ability to “imagine oneself in the future”, highlighting the crucial role of foresight and self-awareness in defining this enigmatic trait.
Through his research, Lipson has been striving to develop adaptive machines with a generalized intelligence that can dynamically evolve through machine-learned natural selection, enabling them to adapt to variable environments and rectify errors or damages within their mechanical structure.
These future machines will not only possess the capacity to learn and self-correct but will also possess the ability to envision their own evolutionary pathways for continuous improvement.
While the tendency to anthropomorphize human characteristics onto non-human entities, particularly machines, is prevalent among humans, researchers are hopeful that conscious robots will be capable of embodying human-like traits and qualities, thus blurring the lines between artificial and human intelligence.