Could Humanity Survive a Robot Uprising?

[Moridin]

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7951038502689013454&q=How+to+Survive+a+Robot+Uprising&total=4&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

Not only is the video quite funny, but it makes you think...for a while.

Provided a robotic uprising, how do you think that humanity could survive as a species? How can yourself as an individual make an effort for survival and what would you do in specific situations?

 

[jambaugh]

I like the Star Trek approach, hit them with logical paradoxes...

but if they have resilient fuzzy logic, (or more likely lack of interest in logical discussions) then well that depends. The principle point of attack is the energy storage and cooling systems. Any robot able to carry out energetic tasks (repeat fire weapons, high-speed locomotion, intensive computation, and combinations thereof) will need serious cooling systems and energy storage.

I think the way to ask this question is to play the part of the robots. What is the most efficient method of exterminating all humans?

Given robots do not need ecological systems I would imagine they will systematically annihilate all life in their domain and then progressively expand it to cover the entire planet. If we cannot fight them directly we are doomed .

How radiation hardened are the robots? Can they survive under levels of long term radiation lethal to biological systems? If so then it is a simple matter building enough breeder reactors and spreading the isotopes. Neutron bombs would also be ideally suited to capturing industrial centers for robot kind.

Do the robots have launch capability? Then a killer asteroid or two will do the job nicely.

For that matter if they have space capability it is only a matter of time if they can establish themselves in space first. Keep the humans bottled up on Earth and build orbital shading screens to induce another ice-age. Then drop rocks on any remaining surface habitation centers. This will drive any remaining humans deep underground and the robots can reclaim the surface easily. Use seismic probes to find underground bunkers, and drill down and set of a nuke.

(I thought the AI invasion of Zion was run very badly.)

Once humans are exterminated then abandon Earth and build robot civilization in the asteroids.

Given these scenarios what do we do about it?

 

[Smurf]

First thing to establish is exactly what conditions surround their uprising. How advanced are they? How autonomous are they?

If we create fully-autonomous, individually intelligent robots. Basically, silicon humans. It's quite different from the I, Robot hive-like situation where one master 'brain' is controlling the robots via some sort of communication system. There are other ways too, each with their own strengths, weaknesses and possibilities.

Out tactics will depend on how the robots attack!

 

[Mk]

How radiation hardened are the robots? Can they survive under levels of long term radiation lethal to biological systems? If so then it is a simple matter building enough breeder reactors and spreading the isotopes. Neutron bombs would also be ideally suited to capturing industrial centers for robot kind.

I thought we might want to preserve the Earth as habitable environment for human's too, but it's what it comes down to.

 

[Cyrus]

I hope he writes better than he speaks, terrible talk.

 

[jambaugh]

I thought we might want to preserve the Earth as habitable environment for human's too, but it's what it comes down to.

Let's consider the pro's and con's for keeping humans around:

Pro: One may suppose that humans are more capable of creative invention...one might keep a population of humans around as a "think tank" working on better robotic design.

Counterpoint: Assume Robots have very long lifespan, then they aren't in as much of a hurry and can afford a trial and error evolutionary path.

Con: Humans will always be a danger and a competitor for industrial resources if allowed to prosper. The foot-in-mouth cure is the simplest.

Counterpoint: If the Robots have a chance to read Ayn Rand and Adam Smith they may be able to reason that more benefit could be achieved through mutual exchange of productive services than through conflict. Robot-kind would benefit by sustained human presence provided humans could be conditioned to respect a convention of mutual rights.

BTW, I don't believe a robot can both be "programmed" to abide by any unbreakable law such as Asimov's big 3, and at the same time be truly sentient. I think a class of entities capable of independent thought cannot be so rigidly conditioned with an assured obedience.

Pro: Humans spontaneously evolved...other organic races likewise must be out there somewhere and will be potential enemies. Long term study of humans and indeed sustained conflict with humans kept at a manageable level would provide a useful proving ground for future methods of favorable conflict resolution.

Well that taps my imagination for the moment... any other pro's or con's anyone?

 

[Smurf]

con: they might eventually lose and be destroyed if humans are allowed to survive.

 

[Moridin]

Pro: Humans spontaneously evolved...other organic races likewise must be out there somewhere and will be potential enemies. Long term study of humans and indeed sustained conflict with humans kept at a manageable level would provide a useful proving ground for future methods of favorable conflict resolution.

The problem with punctuated equilibrium is that there is no guarantee that it will not be the human species that undergoes complete annihilation.