Sci-Tech Icons Andy Rubin And Stephen Hawking Weigh In On The Future Of Artificial Intelligence

Andy Rubin, founder and creator of the Android, says that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the next wave of computing. Speaking at the Code Mobile conference in Half Moon Bay, California, Andy Rubin says that mobile won’t be going away anytime soon, but it will definitely be augmented with AI and robotics. After the debut of the RoBoHoN, the idea doesn’t sound too far-fetched.

Read more on the RoBoHoN: https://www.droidreport.com/carrying-robohon-future-mobile-telephony-11442

Andy Rubin’s assertions are no longer the stuff that science fiction is made of. As the tech firms race to build the next generation’s technologies, and even now, prototypes are already very sophisticated, as demonstrated by the likes of the RoBoHoN, it will only be a matter of time until AI-powered devices will be on the market.

Websites’ algorithms are sophisticated enough to be considered AI. When you notice that Facebook’s ads tailor themselves to your recent searches, it’s actually a function of the algorithm learning your habits and your preferences through your browser. Even GMail has AI of its own when the ads in your email perfectly match the content in your inbox.

However, not everybody is in favor of the future milieu of AI and robotics. Science icon Stephen Hawking isn’t a very big fan of AI. He believes that Artificial Intelligence may take away jobs from people, en masse. And with good reason: Stephen Hawking asserts that AI devices will be able to learn their tasks so well, and will get so competent at what they do, that they could replace human beings. Human beings get sick, become parents, cars break down and they can’t get to work; in short, life happens to humans. AI robots, on the other hand, don’t need to deal with that. For as long as they’re running in top condition, they’ll be able to do their jobs well. And if their algorithms allow them to evolve and grow better and more competent over time, employers may choose them over human beings.

More than that, because they are machines, they will be better at consistency. And consistency is key to performing a good number of tasks over and over and over, without fail.

Other than that, Stephen Hawking points out that it is because of this competency that AI robots could be detrimental to the human race: If they were programmed to achieve goals that are not aligned to the humans’ best interests, this could be a problem for us all.

Andy Rubin, on the other hand, leans towards the more optimistic side in his belief in AI and the devices of the future. This is why he founded Playground Global, which assists hardware startup companies so they can grow profitable and be able to do what they do best—create the hardware of the future. Google even invested in his new company, as well.

Prior to Playground Global, Andy Rubin let go of the reins of the Android team and went on to work with Google X. He since quit Google X, to create Playground Global.

As the blog cheekily quipped, “Andy Rubin can see the future. Or at least he has a habit of willing it into being.” With a man who can bring his ideas into life and turns it into a world-changing force, Droid Report is hedging its bets that, yes, Andy Rubin might be in a pivotal position to bring Artificial Intelligence and Robotics into the mainstream.

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More on Andy Rubin’s talk at the Code Mobile conference:

https://www.cnet.com/news/artificial-intelligence-is-the-next-major-wave-of-computing-android-creator-says/

https://recode.net/2015/10/07/ex-android-chief-andy-rubin-discusses-the-weird-wild-future-of-mobile/

Stephen Hawking’s thoughts on Artificial Intelligence:

https://mashable.com/2015/10/08/stephen-hawking-reddit-ama/#UFcCQWdu6sqx