A Cambridge, MA-based technology company is putting humans on the fast track to extinction. This could be the time that humanity looks back and realizes that this is where it all went wrong. That is the fear for some with Boston Dynamic's newest advancements in artificial intelligence.
The company recently unveiled their robotic dogs that appear to have the ability to not only open doors for one another, but work cooperatively in doing so.
This type of self-reliance, mixed with cooperating to find a shared goal is something to watch as artificial intelligence continues to evolve.
As if this wasn't amazing enough, the team followed up with a second video showing a programmer trying to interfere with the robot opening the door. Despite some back and forth, a determined "robo-dog" eventually made it's way through.
Similar to 'Black Mirror'
There is an episode of the popular Netflix show "Black Mirror" that hauntingly resembles these new robots. In the episode, a woman is running for her life through a post-apocalyptic wasteland while being hunted by robotic dogs.
These dogs bare a close resemblance to those that are being developed at Boston Dynamics. The only real difference is the color design and the fact that the dogs in the tv show are equipped with military grade weapons. Their desire to kill all humans, though, should not be overlooked as it is the most common fear among the general public regarding artificial intelligence.
What's next?
This is unlikely to be the last you hear about these dogs or the technology being used to develop them. The military would no doubt be the first to implement this tech on the battlefield, as the dogs would be a formidable soldier if equipped with weaponry. Gone are the days of clunky remote-controlled robot tech that was mostly used in bomb defusing.
While a weapon like this would be enticing to any military general, it should be at the very least worrying to the average citizen. If these robots were developed for military purposes then where would it end?
Keeping in mind that Boston Dynamics does work with the government, you could see these dogs in your community one day. Rather than risking the lives of service dogs, these robots could aid police officers across the country. Whether or not that is a good thing, for the public, remains to be seen.
One thing that is for sure, once these types of robots, who can work together, become armed, the control will no longer be in our hands.