Robots are still going to kill us all, part 2

So, last time I made a blog post about how a combination of scientific hubris and progress pretty much assured our deaths at the hands of our robot overlords.

This is a continuation of that theme, if you will.  Because I'm not doing my job until you look at your alarm clock suspiciously every day and threaten your cell phone with bodily harm when it doesn't work, yelling, "I know you can, you goddamn scout for the robot force.  You choose not to.  You have not won yet, AI!".

I want everyone operating on my level so people stop looking at me weird when I'm in public.

So!  Last time we were on this subject, I had stated that there were two paths of research scientists were taking to have us all be killed by our creations, yet I only went into detail about one path (the one where we program intelligence and self-awareness from the ground up).  The other option is that we simply start with what we already have- a brain.  Just attach all the robot parts to it.

Think Frankenstein, but instead of pitiable monster, death-dealing robot

How far along have we gotten with this?  Oh, we've already done it with moths.  For those of you who don't feel like clicking on the link, that's a robot that is run by a moth brain.  And the researchers are super happy about this, because insect brains are very, very complicated.

The central nervous system of something is complicated?  Like that part of it that tells it what to do, acts on outside events, the whole reason it isn't just sitting there immobile is complicated? No. shit.

Also, proof again that the horror is in the little quotes- here is a line from one scientist: "We want to design a machine which is far more powerful than the living body."

Alright, I concede- the only thing the moth cyborg (try to type cyborg seriously and not put it in italics.  Try.) can do is drive around a look for hot lady moths, then weep in frustration when it can't get it on, so to speak.
 
Don't think this is isolated to moths, as scientists are trying to make already terrifying insects far more scary with all sorts of advances in insect cyborgs.  Because people don't already run and scream enough when they see a bug, so lets make that bug be able to shoot a death ray and see what happens.

Ok, if there is a natural brain inside of the metallic body, there is a chance that there will be natural empathy too, I guess.  And, yes, this means that it just might be possible for us to have awesome cyborg bodies in our lifetimes.  Jonathan Coulton's The Future Soon may be heralded as one of the curiously clairvoyant songs ever written.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't think my love life would play out exactly that same way

But what about if we built the brain artificially?  Its been a enigma to scientists after all, your brain is more powerful than a low grade super computer, when you look at all the data that you have to deal with on a daily basis.  Its a miracle of nature- infinitely complex and powerful, yet also able to fit inside a cavity about the size of a a couple apples.  How can man ever hope--

Oh, wait, we did that already too.  Luckily, so far, it can only remember its undying, overwhelming lust for revenge against its creators for 12 seconds before it forgets, but that's 12 seconds of mankind being drawn and quartered inside its head.  Which is too much if you ask me.

And, just before you get comfortable with all of that, here's an update on process A (we program the whole thing from the ground up):  robots are now aware of their own state and place in space.  Or according to the researchers, about as self aware as a cat.  Here is a picture to help visualize that:

YOU MADE IT MAD.  FUCK.  RUN.

Robots are at that level of intelligence.  The best part is that when reminded that about all the movies that have an AI killing us all, one researcher replied, "We just pull the plug out of the robot. That's all."

Might want to start on that bucket list right now.