On Monday night, the Captain and First Mate went to the local movie house to view the 1996 iconic film “The Bird Cage”, starring Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman, Hank Azaria, et al. We’d seen it before but watching it on the big screen made it all the better!
Prior to the start of the movie, a promo was onscreen for the 40th anniversary showing of “The Terminator”, the classic dystopian chronicle that launched Arnold Schwarzenegger into stardom.
As if for the first time, the words on the movie poster caught my eye:
“In the Year of Darkness, 2029, the rulers of this planet devised the ultimate plan. They would reshape the Future by changing the Past. The plan required something that felt no pity. No pain. No fear. Something unstoppable. They created The Terminator!”
Yes, in 1984 the year 2029 seemed like forever away.
Like the George Orwell classic written in 1949 that saw the year 1984 as our dystopian future.
It appears everyone thinks we are doomed to a dystopian future!
Captain's Note: That dystopian future may very well begin this Fall if you don't get yer ass out to vote!
Where was I... oh yeah. 2029.
That’s only five years away!
According to the movie, we’re only five years away from “the Year of Darkness”, when Skynet will wage battle against humankind!
Five years away from when a Cyborg will be sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor before she can bear a son, John Connor, who will lead the resistance fight against the machines!
Could it be possible?
The Captain’s mind began to wander back to all the news stories I’ve either glossed over or chuckled about in recent years.
It started with Boston Dynamic’s RoboDog.
Oh, isn’t that cute!
And it can dance, too!
Rest assured though, Boston Dynamic promised us it was not for military use.
But it wasn’t long afterwards that police departments started tampering with the robot, adapting it with video cameras for surveillance work.
Then someone added paintball guns.
“No, they’re not real guns! We would never do that! Look, it’s painting a picture!"
But wait for it…
Here’s one sporting a flame-thrower.
And here’s one equipped with a rocket launcher.
Still think it's "cute"?
Then Boston Dynamic released
a video of a humanoid robot.
It, too, can dance!
How cool is that!
Now, being of a cynical mind, yer Captain wondered, “Surely the folks at Boston Dynamic are not doing all this for the sake of our amusement.”
And yer Captain was right.
The next step was a robot that, if it fell down, could right itself.
That’s really creepy!
I wonder what the practical uses for that might be?
And today I saw this video of a robot fighting humans.
Captain's Note: This video is not real. It was created using CGI. Or was it...?
Now, at this point, all these robotic creations are controlled by a human in a remote location or they have been programmed for specific tasks. They are not yet “sentient”, as the Start Trek franchise has prepped us.
And yet, developing alongside these robots is Artificial Intelligence, a field in computer science that is growing at an alarming rate.
With AI, photographs are easily doctored, or even artificially created from whole cloth.
The same with videos. The online porn world has
been given new life as now you truly can have the woman of your dreams!
And she'll do whatever you want.
Anything!
She's not real.
And audio files.
A couple months ago, OpenAI created a ChatBot that so-closely resembled the voice of actress Scarlett Johansson that she threatened legal action.
She's real.
In fact, in many cases today it is very difficult to distinguish between what is real and what is fake.
AI is being used to create everything from children’s books to legal documents.
One church developed an entire worship service using AI.
Afterwards, the congregation reported, “That was interesting, but let’s not do it again!”
So what happens when Boston Dynamic and AI collide – which they inevitably will?
Truth is, according to Sentient Digital, Inc.,
“the U.S. military has been using AI for many years, even before AI became commonplace in civilian life. Over time, AI has developed to be able to perform more complex jobs, and has almost eliminated the need for human input in certain situations [emphasis mine], although human oversight is still required. From processing data to combat simulation, AI can be used to perform many different jobs in the military.”
So far (so far as we know), robots are not being utilized in combat (beyond remote-piloted drones).
However, it is being discussed, according to Army University Press,
“In robotics, innovation faces opposition despite its advantages, especially when it comes to military applications. Robots are cheaper to make than training and caring for living, breathing human Soldiers. Robot programming allows for specific guiding rules that allow for split-second decisions, minimizing errors caused by deficient human skills and reducing the potential for collateral damage.
“If the U.S. Army used robotic Soldiers, it would also significantly increase military capabilities, further establishing our place as a world superpower by keeping us ahead of potential competition with near-peer adversaries.
“Despite societal concerns, both in the U.S. and worldwide, the military needs to evaluate, understand, and fully embrace robotic technology to ensure our nation’s welfare and humankind’s future.” [emphasis mine]
That last line could have come straight from the script for “RoboCop” (1987), right before the ED-209 obliterates the executive director of OCP.
Will we see the rise of the machines by 2029?
It’s possible.
Will there be resistance?
I don't know.
But all this leads the Captain to think maybe we ought to be keeping an eye on the development of Time Travel...
