The fact that the Martian Rover Perseverance is currently moving about the surface of Mars collecting soil and air samples is incredible enough. But given that even at light-speed it takes 10-15 MINUTES to send a command signal to the rover from Earth, Perseverance must be able to make environmental and mobility decisions independent from its human controllers. The rover is thus the latest realization of increasingly sophisticated autonomous systems.
This technology results from the confluence of advanced of digital algorithms, high speed networks, super fast (and tiny) computers and the availability of massive data stores. On Earth these manifest as self-driving vehicles, automated factories, industrial robots, “smart” speakers and even the elegant little Roomba that vacuums your home, although I never fully trusted those little buggers.
None of these devices ‘think’ in the way we normally associate with human beings, but their ability to process data and make real-time decisions puts us to shame. In fact watching the industrial robots from Boston Dynamics go through their paces provides an eerie feeling that we are witnessing “intelligence”. I wonder if we are experiencing the equivalent of the “uncanny valley” as these robots move and behave in ways we recognize, or nearly so.
As these autonomous systems move from the laboratory to the human world, the potential to be a disruptive technology increases. Imagine the changes in transportation systems if the self-driving electric vehicle were to become commonplace. What if it is a self-driving car that you don’t own, like an UltraUber[tm]?
Never happen you say? We are incredibly adaptable as a species, the ultimate autonomous system. Take a person living in 1949 and magically and instantly transport them to 2021. They would be bewildered and confused at what they saw because so much would have changed in 72 years. This time-traveler would simply lack the benefit of the intervening years to help adapt.
What will the world look like in 2093?
whoisfenton 