{"id":1755,"date":"2017-09-16T12:36:10","date_gmt":"2017-09-16T12:36:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/scienceofthetime.com\/?p=1755"},"modified":"2017-09-16T12:36:10","modified_gmt":"2017-09-16T12:36:10","slug":"drones-whats-the-big-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scienceofthetime.com\/dlc\/2017\/09\/16\/drones-whats-the-big-deal\/","title":{"rendered":"Drones & Bots; What’s The Big Deal?"},"content":{"rendered":"

PART ONE:<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Gradually we have been gliding into the drone age. Drone cameras have drastically decreased their size so they can fly along easily. Drone sensors are more powerful than ever. The auto-pilot technology has also impressively improved. Together it makes drones cheaper and better available to average humanity. All drone hobbyists together will create and share powerful innovations. Chances are that drones will form the first technology where hobbyists and the toy industry will transcend the military-industrial complex. In China there are already drones for sale that can all but successfully compete with the models of the USA army.<\/p>\n

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In the meanwhile the military-industrial complex asks itself whether drones can be commissioned to kill people on their own authority, on their own \u2018Artificial Intelligence\u2019-led estimates. The primary moral reaction of the many is a loud and clear: no! Apparently it feels better when humans kill humans compared to machines doing so. Also guys like Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Stephen Hawkins warn against the risk that next generations of drones will become smarter than us, will consequently dominate us and when they decide it is better for them: kill us.<\/p>\n

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However there are counter-arguments. A drone programmed to kill the enemy but no children and women will kill by the rules more meticulously than soldiers under fire and extreme stress. A drone will also be able to assess rationally, so without interference of human emotions, whether it a good decision to shoot a truck driver fallen asleep, off the road, who is about to crash into a school bus of kids.<\/em><\/p>\n

The drone age will come with new and complex moral dilemmas. In the meanwhile an American student has already managed to put a gun on a drone. It was meant a stunt but he got arrested. In the meanwhile also future Hezbollah will prefer suicide drones above working with humans who let themselves explode. They will probably call this \u2018the big equalizer\u2019 in their fight.<\/p>\n

I am not aware of any government already being prepared to fight an invading army of drones with explosives.<\/p>\n

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PART TWO:<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

An employee at consultancy company McKinsey rewrote part of the company\u2019s Wikipedia pages falsely mentioning himself as its founder. In no time he received an email that his change of texts was rejected and replaced by the right and original one. Ah, Victorious truth! I felt admiration for the army of passionately devoted human beings who manage to detect and correct Wikipedia contributions so sharp and speedily. Alas, my admiration appeared naively romantic. Those zealous humans don\u2019t exist. Bots, automated software programs, are doing the work.<\/p>\n

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Bots can work hard, but they can lie too. Some years ago one of the biggest advertisers on this planet – Proctor & Gamble \u2013 decided to lock away its advertisement activities from television towards the digital media. That seemed wise. You never can tell what target groups \u00a0on the couch are watching your contributions to the TV-advertising blocks. Let alone whether they pay attention. On the Net everything is more effective and efficient.<\/p>\n