Вопросы по тексту A
I would say that we are quite a long way off developing the computing power or the
algorithms for fully autonomous AI, though I do think it will happen within the next thirty
or forty years. We will probably remain in control of technology and it will help us solve
many of the world’s problems. However, no one really knows what will happen if
machines become more intelligent than humans. They may help us, ignore us or
destroy us. I tend to believe AI will have a positive influence on our future lives, but
whether that is true will be partly up to us.
B
I have to admit that the potential consequences of creating something that can match or
surpass human intelligence frighten me. Even now, scientists are teaching computers
how to learn on their own. At some point in the near future, their intelligence may well
take off and develop at an ever-increasing speed. Human beings evolve biologically
very slowly and we would be quickly superseded. In the short term, there is the danger
that robots will take over millions of human jobs, creating a large underclass of
unemployed people. This could mean large-scale poverty and social unrest. In the long
term, machines might decide the world would be better without humans.
C
Personally, I think it’s fascinating to consider how we’ll speed up our evolution as a
species by augmenting our bodies. Imagine if you could implant a computer inside our
brain! Soon we’ll be able to do just that and enhance our mathematical ability,
audiovisual perception and our memory, and this idea is only going to become more
and more commonplace. AI is also popping up in the world around us. Recent
developments include self-driving cars and drones carrying life-saving equipment to
people at sea. Granted, there have been a few teething problems: one woman who was
asleep on the floor had her hair eaten by her robot vacuum cleaner and there have
been fatal accidents with self-driving cars. But progress always comes at a cost, and for
me the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.
D
I’m a member of the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots. Forget the movie image of a
terrifying Terminator stamping on human skulls and think of what’s happening right now:
military machines like drones, gun turrets and sentry robots are already being used to
kill with very little human input. The next step will be autonomous ‘murderbots’, following
orders but ultimately deciding who to kill on their own. It seems clear to me that this
would be completely unethical and dangerous for humanity. We need to be very
cautious indeed about what we ask machines to do.

Read the questions and choose the correct expert (A–D). Each expert may be chosen more than
once.
1 Which expert has a different view from the others regarding the timescale of AI becoming more
autonomous?
2 Which expert has a similar view to A about the responsibility humans have for the future of AI?
3 Which expert agrees with B that the negative aspects of AI far outweigh the positive aspects?
4 Which expert seems to disagree with B about how fast humans can change?
5 Which expert gives their opinion about what will happen with the same level of certainty as D?

Maria325784    2   08.12.2020 04:26    101