Monash Arts

In October 2016, acclaimed Professor Stephen Hawking warned against the rapid development of artificial intelligence, saying that “the rise of powerful AI will be either the best, or the worst thing, ever to happen to humanity," and predicting that robots could develop “powerful autonomous weapons” or new methods to “oppress the many.” The threat of lethal autonomous robots might sound like something out of a sci-fi movie, but the reality is that people all around the world already use robotic technology, including bomb disposal robots and attack drones in the US military, which is currently considering plans to employ thousands of robots by 2025. But while the US military is at the forefront of designing artificial intelligence software, soon we may not even need to leave our front door to see robots in action, with robot butlers and home AI systems already being rolled out as consumer goods in countries like Japan and the US. Not just for the home, these robots hold down jobs in hotels and aged care facili