M-Theory: The problem when we make machines too human – Communitech News

Humanity can never be accused of lacking in self-esteem … or is it just rampant hubris? It seems like whatever we invent or influence, it ends up like us. We've anthropomorphized our deities, making them look and act like us, even though we're supposed to be above our petty squabbles, capable of pretty much anything, and we're supposed to improve ourselves by being like them. But the really big gamble -- and danger, I would argue -- is when we anthropomorphize technology. I'm talking about what happens when we apply our humanity, for better or worse, to the tech we invent and evolve: robots, and the software that runs them, and artificial intelligence (AI).