Category Archives: SFF Thought Starters

Oct 01

“There are two skills in which humans excel that will enable us to remain useful in a world of ever-advancing…

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“There are two skills in which humans excel that will enable us to remain useful in a world of ever-advancing artificial intelligence. One, the ability to frame and define a complex problem so that it can be handed off to a creative machine to solve. And two, the ability to communicate the value of both the framework and the proposed solution to the other humans involved.”

Since those are both skills that I possess, I feel like I’m in good shape here.

You know who’s not going to be in good shape, if these predictions prove true? Novelists who “write to market” – analyse existing popular books in order to produce similar books with a built-in audience. Because machines will be able to do that.

Originally shared by Singularity Hub

The Coming Creativity Explosion Belongs to the Machines http://suhub.co/2xHiDSb

Oct 01

A #scifi/ #horror book waiting to be written: Robotic ships from Rolls-Royce could carry out missions without a crew

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Originally shared by Cora Foerstner

A #scifi/ #horror book waiting to be written: Robotic ships from Rolls-Royce could carry out missions without a crew

http://www.popsci.com/rolls-royce-navy-drone-ships?utm_content=bufferfb9c9&utm_medium=social&utm_source=plus.google.com&utm_campaign=buffer#page-2

Sep 30

See a cool video about the Planetary Society’s Project Light sail, that will expand from a mere bread loaf cube-sat…

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Originally shared by David Brin

See a cool video about the Planetary Society’s Project Light sail, that will expand from a mere bread loaf cube-sat to 32 square meters and launch humanity (at last!) into the era of interplanetary sailing.

http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/video/scitech/lightsail-2-animation.html

http://www.planetary.org/multimedia/video/scitech/lightsail-2-animation.html

Sep 30

The author of this article has a utopian hope – but he recognises that it won’t happen by accident.

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The author of this article has a utopian hope – but he recognises that it won’t happen by accident.

To get this future, we’ll have to restructure our relationships (including our economic relationships) in the present, and put a lot more emphasis on emotional intelligence.

Originally shared by Yonatan Zunger

A thoughtful piece by Kai-Fu Lee​ about the effects of AI on work. As he rightly points out, the AIs we are building, and that we are likely to be able to build over the next several generations, are “narrow” AIs – ones which can do a specific task well, but have no comprehension beyond that. I’m more confident than he is that we’ll make significant steps towards “general” AI in our lifetimes, but I agree with him that those won’t be the things affecting our economy or world in the near future.

When it comes to the question of the jobs which will be (and are already being) displaced by these AIs, Lee wisely avoids either overly optimistic or pessimistic perspectives. But he spends the last part of the article making a compelling case for the increasing importance of a type of work which humans are particularly suited for: emotional labor.

He talks about this in several contexts, but a good example is a doctor delivering a serious diagnosis. While a computer may be able to diagnose more accurately than a human within our lifetimes, with things like this the delivery of the diagnosis, and the human interaction which accompanies and follows it, is supremely important.

Historically, emotional labor has been “invisible” labor, unrecognized, unpaid, and unappreciated. But our increasing recognition of it is happening at a time when our need for it is increasing, as well. It wouldn’t surprise me to see this become a substantial economic sector in the future, just like the service, manufacturing, and agricultural sectors.

Some such jobs already exist, of course, from child care to therapy to sex work. And the flexibility of the Internet may offer new outlets for this: if you could pay someone to just listen to you for a while and not be a jerk, or get paid by someone for the same, would you?

https://www.wired.com/story/a-blueprint-for-coexistence-with-artificial-intelligence/amp

Sep 29

Via Charlie Kravetz.

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Via Charlie Kravetz.

Originally shared by Alfred Poor

The #FDA has approved #human trials of a #brain #implant that could restore #vision for the #blind. #healthtech #wearables

Losing one’s sight has profound impact on a person’s life, not the least of which is a loss of independence and mobility. Many researchers are working on ways to restore vision, using strategies ranging from replacement implants for damaged retinas to…

http://healthtechinsider.com/2017/09/20/retina-implant-receives-fda-approval-human-trials/

Sep 23

As soon as you see “autonomous wheelchair” you think, “Well, of course.”

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As soon as you see “autonomous wheelchair” you think, “Well, of course.”

Originally shared by Wayne Radinsky

“Lidar-equipped autonomous wheelchairs roll out in Singapore and Japan.” The first is the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology, or SMART wheelchair. “The robot’s computer uses data from three lidars to make a map. A localization algorithm then determines where the smart chair is on the map. The chair’s six wheels lend stability, and the chair is designed to make tight turns and fit through normal-size doorframes.”

“A second autonomous wheelchair recently premiered at Haneda Airport in Tokyo, designed by Panasonic and Whill, creator of the Model A Whill wheelchair, a sleek, high-tech wheelchair now on the market in Japan and the United States.”

https://spectrum.ieee.org/transportation/self-driving/lidar-equipped-autonomous-wheelchairs-roll-out-in-singapore-and-japan