#UPDATE: WE FOUND THE F(R)IEND

[spiderwebd]

my amazing mutual who reblogs everything at 4 am my time so i wake up to 99+ notifications :3

Hehehehehe yw <3 /silly

[shroomy-games]

dubious update

Greeting, my f(r)iends. Shroomy here. A little update on the game and the mess that is somehow my daily life.

Over winter holidays I worked on a bunch of CGs, talksprites and things like that. However, currently I am once again on an unintentional hiatus due to ADHD shenanigans... Basically, I was travelling and lost my backpack that contained my laptop and tablet on a train in bloody Germany. :'D And my ticket was running out, so I had to go back home without it.

Luckily, it was found quickly, so not all is lost. I'll get it back eventually. Currently trying to figure out what to do with the batteries, since they're not allowed to be mailed internationally.

My life is a comedic mess. But it's fine, because at this point I am used to it. orz

Arnika has no right to judge me, but here we are. Okay, maybe she does. Anyway... See you hopefully soon. Pls pray for my things to come back safely... orz

- Shroomy

[vectoringstuff-blog]

Week 12: The future of digital? Robots, self-driving cars, and artificial intelligence

Will the future ahead of us turn us into super humans, or give us robot best f ( r ) iends?

This idea isn’t just a simple Sci-Fi plot. It could be a reality. With the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the development of bionics, robotic prosthetics and enhancements, electric cars and the advancement of self-driving cars - something like Futurama isn’t far off the truth.

I watched a news program (which I’ve embedded below) about a New Zealand tech company that developed an exo-skeleton which gives disabled people and wheelchair bound people the ability to walk again. 

As well as this, I also found a short video about Harvard University developing a bionic soft suit to help the military and the elderly walk and move around, while giving the ability to prevent serious injury.

It seems like a call back to Darwin’s theory on evolution, except instead of naturally evolving, we are forcing that trajectory into our own interests, needs (whether medical or not), and sense of convenience. There are many stories about bionic prosthetics out performing the original limbs of amputees. There is even a man in Sydney who installed an Opal travelling chip into his hand to make transporting around Sydney easier. (Dole, 2017) 

With the benefit of extreme improvements to our human lives, there is always going to be extreme risks.

The late Stephen Hawking famously quoted that Artificial Intelligence could “spell the end of the human race.” Bill Gates and Elon Musk share similar opinions. Musk compared the idea of AI to the dictatorship of North Korea, if used without caution. Gates expressed that the good can outweigh the bad if managed properly. (Marr, 2018)

According to Hawking, he believed in the possibility that machines could “take off” on their own will. That once their AI develops enough they would find the ability to think for themselves, modify themselves and update their systems. In comparison to the slow biological sense of evolution in the human race, we would fall behind while our creation begins to dominate and take over. (Marr, 2018)

Our AI robots (or would they be considered creatures if they can evolve themselves?) might see themselves as the superior being and enslave the human race and history might repeat itself. 

Perhaps we should take a page from Mary Shelley’s gothic horror novel Frankenstein and proceed with extreme caution, as this pivotal moment in science can cause so much destruction. 

Sources:

Marr, B. (2018) Is Artificial Intelligence Dangerous? 6 AI Risks Everyone Should Know About. Forbes. Retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2018/11/19/is-artificial-intelligence-dangerous-6-ai-risks-everyone-should-know-about/#5db0e0222404

Rutschman, A.S. (2018) Stephen Hawking warned about the perils of artificial intelligence – yet AI gave him a voice. The Conversation. Retrieved from: https://theconversation.com/stephen-hawking-warned-about-the-perils-of-artificial-intelligence-yet-ai-gave-him-a-voice-93416

Dole, N. (2017) Sydney man has Opal card implanted into hand to make catching public transport easier. ABC News. Retrieved from: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-06-27/sydney-bio-hacker-has-opal-travel-card-implanted-into-hand/8656174