Robotics and Consciousness

Robotics heavily relies on #artificialintelligence (AI) to collate and analyze data, create outputs, and perform complex tasks. However, AI programming is not consciousness. Consciousness has two components: arousal and awareness. While arousal is regulated by the brainstem, awareness has been more elusive. To understand awareness, researchers have been examining the connectome of healthy brains. One study analyzed 36 patients with brain stem lesions and found that the rostral doso lateral pontine region of the brainstem plays a critical role in regulating consciousness. The left ventral anterior insular and the pre-genual anterior singulate cortex are also linked to arousal and awareness.

However, some researchers suggest that the mind is not fully encased by the brain. The mind meets the mathematical definition of a complex system, which means it is open and capable of influencing things outside itself. This raises interesting questions about whether computers and robots can think in a similar way to humans.

Robotics and Consciousness: How Close Are We?

Neuralink , Elon Musk's company, is embedding chips into people's brains to allow them to interact with computers using their minds. For example, a man who was fully paralyzed has had a neural chip implanted in his brain for seven years and can use computers and interact with physical objects purely with his mind. If humans can do this, it raises the possibility that robotics could move in a similar direction and impact consciousness.

The movie Ex Machina explores the relationship between humans and robots with Ava, a robot that exhibits all the aspects that make us human. She passes the Turing test, which tests a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behavior non-distinguishable from that of a human. The movie raises questions about whether humans can relate to them despite knowing they are artificial.

Another example is the robot Sophia made by Hanson Robotics Limited . There's a very interesting interview where Tony Robbins is saying to everyone, "Are we ready? Are we ready?" Sophia looks at him and says, "Take your time, Tony." He was a bit surprised because he was kind of treating her like a robot. Actually, she was perceiving what he was interested in and she reacted like a human would. Then at one point in the interview, he started coughing and she said, "Are you okay?"

What Does This Mean For The Future?

Dennis R. Mortensen , founder and CEO of x.ai (the company that invented Amy, the digital assistant) said, "the way I think this will play out is that you will have highly specialized and very intelligent ai, not mediocre at everything, but really, really good at one thing." He's probably right for the moment.

Robots initially are not going to replace humans completely. They're going to augment humans. They will take on a lot of the dull, repetitive, difficult, demeaning, demanding, dangerous kinds of jobs - and that's only the beginning. They have already replaced humans in many areas. 美国银行 has replaced 50% of its customer service staff with digital humans. We even have a robot lawyer who wins a hundred percent of his cases. AI is doing more accurate diagnostics and predictions in oncology than human specialists.?

While robotics heavily relies on AI, it is not consciousness. Researchers have been examining the connectome of healthy brains to understand awareness, while others suggest that the mind is not fully encased by the brain. With companies embedding chips into people's brains, it raises questions about the possibility of robotics moving in a similar direction and impacting consciousness.?

Conclusion

We are moving into an era where more and more of the current kinds of roles will change. That doesn't mean that AI will be detrimental to human jobs. This is the nature of technology. If you think back to the fifties when switchboard operators would connect phone calls and there were typing pools in companies where no one would write their own memos, those jobs are gone, but new jobs have come in their place. So the human workforce and jobs evolve as technology evolves.

If you're considering ways to use robotics in your #pharma business, there's a myriad of solutions they can offer. Contact Dr. Andree Bates at abates@eularis.com for more information.