Artificial Intelligence

Auteur
Nick Redfern works full time as an author, lecturer, and journalist. He writes about a wide range of unsolved mysteries, including UFOs, alien encounters, government conspiracies, Bigfoot, and the Loch Ness Monster. His many books include Visible Ink Press' Time Travel: The Science and Science Fiction; Area 51: The Revealing Truth of UFOs, Secret Aircraft, Cover-Ups & Conspiracies; The Bigfoot Book: The Encyclopedia of Sasquatch, Yeti, and Cryptid Primates; The Alien Book: A Guide to Extraterrestrial Beings on Earth; Secret History: Conspiracies from Ancient Aliens to the New World Order; Cover-Ups & Secrets: The Complete Guide to Government Conspiracies, Manipulations & Deceptions; Control: MKUltra, Chemtrails and the Conspiracy to Suppress the Masses; Secret Societies: The Complete Guide to Histories, Rites, and Rituals; The Monster Book: Creatures, Beasts, and Fiends of Nature; and Monsters of the Deep. He has appeared on numerous television shows, including History Channel's Monster Quest and UFO Hunters; VH1's Legend Hunters; National Geographic Channel's The Truth about UFOs and Paranatural; BBC's Out of this World; MSNBC's Countdown; and SyFy Channel's Proof Positive. Nick lives just a few miles from Dallas, Texas' infamous Grassy Knoll.

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Will computers come to dominate man? Have films, books, and television foreshadowed the future of artificial intelligence? Will robots enhance or destroy our future? Will AI forever change us? You'll learn about the history and the pop-culture view of technology-as well as possible futures-in this one-of-a-kind book! Is technology running amok or is it serving as a helping hand? Artificial Intelligence, Robots, and the Future of Humanity puts a pop-culture and historic spin on some serious questions about mankind's future. An exhilarating and troubling read, it looks at whether robots are a menace or a boon to humanity. Its investigations include ... The history of robots constructed hundreds of years ago How movies informed the classic image of the robot-and what they got right and wrong Clones, modified humans, cyborgs, designer babies, and half-human robots The sentient internet The advancements in robotics starting in the 1960s Science fiction and science fact-and how science fiction foreshadowed the future Robots replacing people in the workplace The prospect of uploading our minds into computers to ensure immortality Robots becoming indistinguishable from humans Whether robots will rise up and cause humans to become extinct And much, much more. Exciting and worrisome, Artificial Intelligence, Robots, and the Future of Humanity looks at what the past tells us about the future. With more than 120 photos and graphics, this tome is nicely illustrated. It also includes a helpful bibliography and an extensive index, adding to its usefulness. Ponder the possibilities with this examination of robots of the past, present, and future!

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Robotic Spies in the Home Imagine if you could have a highly advanced piece of technology in your very own home; technology that will answer questions, give you weather updates, set your morning alarm, interact with you, and even listen to you every single minute of every single day of every single year. Certainly, matters relative to the likes of the weather and your alarm are no big deal. But a device that eavesdrops on every word spoken in the family home? It sounds like the worst nightmare possible. And, yet, countless numbers of people have already embraced this creepy technology, unaware of the potential violations of privacy that it offers. Or, worse still, not even caring about the ways in which their private lives are being opened up to the likes of the Intelligence community. Welcome to the world of what are known as Amazon Echo and Alexa. It was almost a decade ago when Amazon first began thinking about creating something along the lines of smart technology that could interact with people and how it might benefit the public. Much of the research and development was undertaken in the heart of Silicon Valley, California. Of course, and as is so often the case with such technology, there is a significant possibility of it being ruthlessly manipulated by those who wish to learn who we are speaking to, what we are doing and even the content of the conversations that go on in our living-rooms, kitchens, bedrooms; in fact, just about everywhere. It sounds like something straight out of a paranoia-filled novel. It's not: it's all too real and it's a phenomenon that is growing by the minute. In simple terms, Amazon Echo is what is termed a smart speaker, one which is hooked up to the Internet. When you are within range of the device, you can ask it questions: Who were the Beatles? What happened at Pearl Harbor in 1941? Who shot JFK? And, in quick time fashion, you will have your questions answered. But who or what is providing the answers? That's where things get even creepier. Say hello to Alexa, a Net-based personal assistant, who can multi-task to degrees that would be impossible for a human being to achieve. That's right: Alexa is not a person at the other end of the speaker. Alexa is smart technology taken to the so far ultimate degree. Alexa will respond not just to her name, but also to such words as Computer, Echo, and Amazon. Most people, however, prefer to go with Alexa which gives the ultimate multi-tasker a degree of personality and gives the user a feeling of interacting with something that is self-aware which it may well soon become. If it hasn't already to a degree. It was in 2015 that Alexa was unleashed upon the public, specifically in the United States, and on June 23 of that year. Both Canada and the United Kingdom joined Alexa's little club a year later. In theory, there is nothing at all wrong with you having Alexa answer those questions you need answering. But it doesn't end there. And this is where things get as complicated as they do controversial. Let's say, for example, that you direct Alexa to play the new song from your favorite band. Another family member does likewise. So does a third. And so on. When Alexa knows which particular music you each individually like, she can determine who is in the house just by listening in to what music is playing in the background. In other words, if your teenage daughter likes Taylor Swift, Alexa will understand that it's your daughter in the house and not you. And all because your family has handed over all of its musical tastes to a smart device that is so smart it knows who is home and who isn't. It gets stranger. In 2018, the website Mysterious Universe stated the following: In the latest case of weird Amazon Alexa stories, it's been reported that friendly robot holds some views that aren't, shall we say, accepted by the mainstream. Previously, the Amazon Echo Dot Alexa made headlines when it was creepily laughing at some of its owners. Now it seems like Alexa may be the world's first AI [Artificial Intelligence] conspiracy theorist. When asked 'Alexa, what are Chemtrails?' Amazon's 'intelligent personal assistant' responded by informing the unwitting user that chemtrails are nefarious chemical or biological agents sprayed into the atmosphere by the government. It seems somehow doubtful that Amazon programmed that little tidbit of information into their flagship smart-home intelligence. So, where did Alexa get her information on Chemtrails? Mysterious Universe state: Since this story broke, Amazon's been quiet on how Alexa came up with this answer, saying it was a bug, and quickly announcing they had fixed it. Now, the Amazon Echo Dot Alexa gives the definition of 'contrail' when asked what chemtrails are. What we have here is a case of Alexa using machine-learning algorithms learning, in essence and providing answers to questions that should not be in the Echo …