Will AI eventually be able to bridge this gap?
And how will we know it can, and if and when
it decides to do so? Will future aircraft be
trusted to pilot themselves at all times, or at
all? Given their incredible safety record already
far superior to every other regular mode of
transport, do airlines even need to take control
away from their pilots?
With Space X aiming to revolutionize
space travel over the coming years, these
technological questions could be posed
far beyond our planet. Given the looming
possibility of carrying humans to Mars and other
destinations within the solar system, the debate
over control between human and computer in
this space-faring scenario will be all too eerily
familiar to regular movie goers.
But it is essentially the same debate, no matter
where it takes place. Humans currently remain
ultimately responsible for problems with
technology, despite having to cede control in
more and more areas of life. Until AI is intelligent
and smart enough to take full responsibility for
itself, this won’t change. Blame for the two high-
profile plane crashes of the last few months, it
seems, lies firmly with the manufacturer.
If there comes a point whereby AI is completely
responsible for a similar incident, this will instantly
raise many more troubling questions about our
relationship with technology. When this does
happen, we may also have to completely rethink
what we regard as science fiction.by Benjamin Kerry & Gavin Lenaghan