Artificial intelligence is developing at a record pace, creating huge opportunities and huge risks for humanity. Aneesha Chakraborty, 17, from Lady Eleanor Holles School, says we are right to be worried.
“I’m not sure what all the fuss is about, no matter how advanced AIA computer programme that has been designed to think. becomes, it will never have a human brain and therefore can never totally replace humans,” I naively thought to myself as I remembered the debate my classmates, teachers, parents and pretty much the entire world had been reiterating over and over on how “AI is going to steal our jobs”!
However, just as my brain was rolling its eyes in boredom after hearing this commotion for the one-billionth time, it was as if the universe was pointing and laughing at me — as at that exact moment I came across an article from Medium titled Unleashing the Mind’s Playground: Rise of Neuromorphic Computing.
Neuromorphic Computing? What in the world is that? My curiosity was piqued as I ventured further into a rabbit hole of AI, computer science and neuroscience and found myself mimicking the panic I once mocked and realised… AI is going to steal our brains.
Alright, let me explain. Neuromorphic computing is a technology which aims to design hardware and software that imitates the way the human brain works. In simple terms — a computer will be able to think like a human and this technology is a building block towards artificial superintelligence. Yes, super intelligence.
How it works exactly can first be explained in simple terms with some biology: our brain has neuronsNeurons, also known as nerve cells, are cells in the nervous system that use chemical or electrical signals to transmit information throughout the body. , which can “spike” and send chemical and electrical signals which travel through a network of connection points called synapses to send messages to inform the parts of the body what to do. This principle is essentially modelled in neuromorphic computing as the computer recreates the process of spiking neurons and synapses as an “artificial neural network”, thus mimicking the brain’s neural structure.
Right, enough science — what exactly is the effect of neuromorphic computer science? Well, there are some advantages: neuromorphic computing focuses greatly on energy efficiency. These computers can process data at a much higher rate than the typical computer. They can also adapt to new situations quickly and be used for systems such as self-autonomous vehicles, robots and drones, helping them to react to situations with the same emotional response a human would, but with basically one hundred times the intelligence!
Although this could be used to greatly advance AI and transform computer science in a way we’ve never seen before, it’s quite scary to think a machine could essentially replicate us, but better. Could there be a possibility of replacing humans entirely? Moreover, if we give computers a human brain, would they have their own thoughts? What if one day they rebel? Could a robot-human war be impending?!
Sorry — I got carried away. If I have panicked you, it could help you if I tell you that neuromorphic hardware and software hasn’t advanced enough that computers can truly re-create the human brain…yet. However, scientists at IBMAn American multinational technology company. It’s longer name is The International Business Machines Corporation. have already developed a chip called TrueNorth, which has 5.4 billion transistors to generate one million neurones and 256 million synapses! So, the thought I will leave you with is to be extra nice to any computers around you, with how AI is advancing, who knows when they’ll get a mind of their own!
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Keywords
AI – A computer programme that has been designed to think.
Neurons – Neurons, also known as nerve cells, are cells in the nervous system that use chemical or electrical signals to transmit information throughout the body.
IBM – An American multinational technology company. It’s longer name is The International Business Machines Corporation.
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