GRACE Exceeds Expectations!

smashr writes "GRACE, the robot mentioned earlier on slashdot, has succeeded in the AAAI challenge at the conference in Canada. Her creators are saying that GRACE exceeded their expectations. The entire competition went well with only several minor hiccups (GRACE cut in front of a judge in line to register, and then demanded a conference badge several times). The team is looking forward towards refining GRACE for the competition in Mexico. Stories at: CNN.com, Yahoo, and the Edmonton Journal."

Comments

wow...

[edrugtrader]

GRACE seems like a bitch. she'll climb the corporate ladder fast!

[insert intelligent comment here]

[caveat]

i really don't know what to say about this. on the one hand, it's cool as hell, and an amazing technological achievement - a robot that can actually register itself, get a badge, be rude in the process, and give a lecture. on the other hand, it's sort of scary - robots are getting autonomous; what do we do when the day comes that GRACE decides she doesn't like the judge's attitude and decides to "adjust" it?

Re:[insert intelligent comment here]

[drudd]

The real problem with implementing Asimov's three laws is interpreting when your actions will break them.

The very top of the line research in AI might be able to recognize a human being under idealized circumstances.

So how are we supposed to tell our robots "don't run over a human's foot, since that's injuring a human, and that action violates the first law" when the robot can't distinguish between a human foot and a stain on the carpet.

Doug

fascinating

[tps12]

I couldn't believe this story. At first I was ready to read about another amusing, if charmingly disappointing, attempt at the Turing Test. But it transpires that GRACE actually function independently and managed to register for and deliver a lecture at a crowded academic conference! I was floored.

Look at how far we've come. The mechanics for her locomotion are only about a century old. The silicon electronical parts of her brains have only been around a few decades. And I'm even calling her "her!" She's a machine! That a handful of scientists and antisocial grad students have accomplished what it took evolution millions of years to do (create life) gives me hope for the future of mankind.

As I look at these articles, I'm reminded of what my parents told me: "You can do anything." And now I'm realizing that that wasn't just "you" as in "me" (tps12), but also "you" as in the entire human race. We are reaching for the stars, we are playing with the origins of life and the very fabric of our Universe. We are playing God. If we don't end up destroying ourselves in the process, then we're in for one hell of a ride.

What they're good at.

[drox]

The GRACE design team deserves kudos, but I still think that robots/AI should primarily be designed and programmed to do things that humans are BAD at, like searching through dangerous rubble, or performing fine manipulations in toxic or extreme-temperature environments, rather than doing things that humans are already quite GOOD at, like schmoozing. There are billions of people available who already know how to schmooze, and they can learn new schmoozing rules quickly, on the fly, without costly reprogramming. There are very few who would be willing (to say nothing of able) to work in a hazardous or tiny confining environment.