In the 2013 film Her, Joaquin Phoenix falls in love with a computer operating system voiced by Scarlett Johansson. The relationship embodies a shared vision of a future when human connections are radically changed by interactions with computers powered by artificial intelligence (AI).
That reality is actually not far away. Amazon’s Echo listening device has transformed the market. The device is controlled by a user’s voice and is always listening for commands such as questions about the weather or the latest sport scores. Google is set to release its own version this week. These devices are getting smarter by the second as they learn more about our behavioural patterns.
Self-driving cars, as mentioned above, operate according to the same principle. They learn about road conditions and potential hazards. They are always getting smarter and don’t suffer from the weight of fickle human emotions. Last week, major technology companies announced that they will collaborate on an ethics platform governing AI. We can’t escape that the future is now.
