On this episode of Yinzer Backstage Pass, I paid a visit to the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University in Oakland. We followed faculty member Matt Travers down a set of stairs into the basement of the building. It was a cavernous space -- lots of piled boxes and miscellaneous storage -- but that turns out to be the perfect space to train the robots that he has been developing. We turned the corner and entered the "MattLab," which was buzzing with activity. More than a dozen grad students were typing on desktops, tinkering with remote controls and referencing huge monitors displaying incomprehensible charts and data.

In an increasingly digitized world, the artificial intelligence (AI) boom is only getting started. But could the risks of artificial intelligence outweigh the potential benefits these technologies might lend to society in the years ahead? In this segment of Backstage Pass, recorded on Dec. 14, Fool contributors Asit Sharma, Rachel Warren, and Demitri Kalogeropoulos discuss. I think artificial intelligence is going to continue to provide both benefits as well as detriment to society. It's empowering these law enforcement agencies to have a more efficient way of tracking down criminals, keeping people safer. Are these algorithms judging people equally or are they including certain things that single out certain individuals that may or may not be fair in the long run and may, in fact, result in less justice?