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Jimmy McDonough Instructor: Malcolm Campbell English 1103 02/01/2013 Will computers ever become smarter than man? When will this happen and what will it lead to? Introduction/Overview For my project, I will be examining if computers can ever become smarter than man, and if we should even let them. If we do, when will it happen and what will happen? This is truly intriguing. Everyone has seen movies, where the world ends when computers reach a certain level of intelligence, but is Hollywood blowing this all out of proportion? Or are they on the right track? To answer these questions, I have done some initial research (as in quickly Googling my topic proposal) on howstuffworks.com and found out that computers are outsmarting us is some areas already! One example is in the game of chess, where a super computer named deep blue, beat the world chess champion in a series of six games. Also, IBMs computer, Watson, beat two Jeopardy champions. This shows that with enough processing power and programming, computers can retrieve information quickly and respond correctly. Although these are just games, this could be the start of something big! In another article I found, the founder of Skype, Jaan Tallinn, makes a great point about super computers and super intelligence. He ask the question, In order to refine a first version of super intelligence, you have to basically kill or turn off the first version, but if this thing is smarter than you, how do you turn it off? He also goes on to say, If you build machines that
Apple User 2/6/13 9:57 PM Comment [2]: Good use of examples. Apple User 2/6/13 9:56 PM Comment [1]: Mention some movies. -Terminator -2001: A Space Odyssey -The Matrix Allow your audience to get an idea of how Hollywood has portrayed your topic.

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understand what humans are and they really have some distorted view of what we want, then we might end up being alive but not controlling the future. If I read that right, is he implying that we will become inferior to computers? I plan to break down this article some more, and investigate this idea further. The above information and ideas make one think: Should we even let computers surpass us in intelligence? There are the extremists that say if we do, AI or artificial intelligence will become smarter than us and self-aware, thus turning on the human race, and wiping us out. As of right now, nobody really knows. This idea could actually be valid, according to some sources I have found. As of right now, it seems absurd. However, some experts might have evidence to back up their claims. More research should shed some light on this. Initial Inquiry Question(s) Will computers ever pass us in intelligence? Will they eventually become self-aware? What does this mean? What is artificial intelligence? If they do, when and what will happen? In what areas are computers outsmarting us now? What are the opposing sides of this topic? Do we have anything to be worried about? Is Hollywood right with movies like Terminator?
Apple User 2/6/13 9:42 PM Comment [4]: I think that this would be a great way to open up your proposal. Give us a definition of AI. Apple User 2/6/13 9:40 PM Comment [3]: You mentioned extremists, but what other parties are there? What are their points of view? Apple User 2/6/13 9:38 PM Deleted: , Apple User 2/6/13 9:38 PM Deleted: s

Apple User 2/6/13 9:42 PM Comment [5]: Very important question.

My Interest in this Topic My interest in this topic comes from an article I read in Engineering 1201 last semester. It was just a general article about technology, but there was a brief section about artificial intelligence and the future of computer intelligence. And until now, no class gave me the ability

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to explore this topic. Plus, technology has always been an interest of mine, I mean, come on, I am an engineering major! As I said before, computers are already surpassing us in some areas, but games like chess and Jeopardy arent the limit. Experts say that possibly in the future, computers could drive cars, write books, and even make their own decisions! I hope to learn around what time computer will reach the singularity, or the time when computers evolve faster than we can comprehend. I also would like to find out the consequences of computers surpassing us, like the idea Jaan Tallinn proposed in his article. I am also interested in learning what other possible outcomes could come from computers surpassing us in intelligence. Next Steps To learn more about my topic, I will revisit the articles I have already examined and dig deeper into other articles the authors have wrote. Also, I have found a great database all about technology that I plan to plug in some key words to see what articles come up. Lastly, I plan on visiting the library and using its resources to see what I can dig up. Its a solid topic Jimmy, full of uncertainty, exploration, and anxiety. It is crucial that you locate who the different parties are: The extremists, and ________. Everyone has an opinion, give your audience a party to relate to, root for in a way. Examples are also essential: What kind of technologies are companies starting to create? What were old computers like? All of this advice is up for grabs.
Apple User 2/6/13 9:49 PM Comment [8]: Id ask some of your engineering professors. In addition, find some documentaries on Youtube or some news website. Also, just ask some of your friends about what they think about the subject. Apple User 2/6/13 10:01 PM Comment [7]: How does this paragraph relate to you? How can you tie this paragraph into your interests? Apple User 2/6/13 9:59 PM Comment [6]: Do you plan on designing computers yourself?