Will robots help or harm? It's time for 'big thinking,' A.I. experts warn

Robots have considerable potential to make human lives better, but only if humans start doing some "big thinking" now about how to ensure that the effects of artificial intelligence are beneficial. That was the view of A.I. experts during a panel discussion on the topic Tuesday at the Heidelberg Laureate Forum in Germany. "We've got to take responsibility for the technology we create," said Noel Sharkey, an emeritus professor of A.I. and robotics at the University of Sheffield as well as chair of the International Committee for Robot Arms Control and cofounder of the Foundation for Responsible Robotics. "We've got to do some big thinking here." The number of robots in use around the world is skyrocketing, Sharkey said.