Artificial Intelligence: When Will the Robots Rebel? - Datamation

Students code software at desktops, while others assemble odd machines with wires and multi-colored boxes. Earning a spot at this elite university isn't easy; UC-Berkeley accepted a mere 14.8 percent of applicants for the class of 2020. So this young crew will likely be tomorrow's tech leaders and pioneers. Despite all the promise, it appears that BRETT is struggling. BRETT is a robot, and he – or she, or it – is attempting to place a small wooden block into a small hole. Again and again, BRETT swings his arm over the opening, attempts to place the block, but fumbles. Just can't make it fit. However, as robots go, BRETT has a huge advantage: he can learn. Every time BRETT swings his arm and fails, he calculates what went wrong. In essence he's doing what we humans do: he's failing, and in response he's deciding how to improve the next effort. I stand watching for about 15 minutes, and finally BRETT succeeds – a lengthy period given the simple task. But the astounding point is that the robot really did learn.