Why artificial intelligence is far too human - The Boston Globe

Have you ever wondered how the Waze app knows shortcuts in your neighborhood better than you? It's because Waze acts like a superhuman air traffic controller -- it measures distance and traffic patterns, it listens to feedback from drivers, and it compiles massive data set to get you to your location as quickly as possible. Even as we grow more reliant on these kinds of innovations, we still want assurances that we're in charge, because we still believe our humanity elevates us above computers. Movies such as "2001: A Space Odyssey" and the "Terminator" franchise teach us to fear computers programmed without any understanding of humanity; when a human sobs, Arnold Schwarzenegger's robotic character asks, "What's wrong with your eyes?" They always end with the machines turning on their makers.