AT THE EDGE
Robot
Apocalypse
Hello
dear readers, this is going to be a new “series” of articles that
I named “AT THE EDGE”.
Previously
I wrote a series based on Matthew 24 and the signs of the end times,
where basically, news reports confirmed what Jesus prophesied.
But
in this new series of articles, “AT THE EDGE”, we are going to
take a look at what the world is saying about these times we live in.
And we are going to see that according to many different areas of
society, we are “at the edge” of a turning point in humanity. At
a climax of our civilization, where uncertainty, chance and despair
is all that we are left with. (according to them).
But
of course we, as followers of Jesus, know that, this is not the case.
So
fasten your seat belts, and hold on because we are going to be
shocked.
What
is the world expecting in the next years?
What
are the experts warning us about, and many of us don’t know about
it?
Is
nature and climate out of control?
Are
the nations angry, ready for a great conflagration?
Is
our society (social, economic, religious) about to collapse?
Robot
Apocalypse
As
the subtitle says this article is going to be about a topic that is
not a conspiracy theory at all, instead, many experts on the subject
are worry about it and have given us warnings.
First,
let us take a look at how the “robot movement” is advancing.
Thus, we can start to comprehend the situation and peek a little
through the window into the robotic world.
In
case you are not very “up-to-date” on the subject, robots are
slowly but surely making their way into our society. But recently, as
technology advances rapidly, these machines are starting to show up
in different places, making life easier for their owners. Let us take
a look at just some of these cases:
Robots
help deliver meals for patients at Bristol's new £430million super
Southmead Hospital.
(WesternDaily Press)
Coming
Soon to the Library: Humanoid Robots. (TheWall Street Journal)
As
you can see by these few articles, these are NOT toys at all. Most of
them cost tens of thousands of dollars and their creators have spent
many years developing them.
These
machines apparently are very efficient at what they do, and they
seemingly benefit their owners very much.
In
fact, they are so efficient, that they are replacing humans and
taking people's jobs, as you already saw in some of the previous news
articles.
Robots
replacing cooks, teachers, receptionists, nurses, flight crew and
even pilots!
Some
of them are so smart that can play games against humans and win!
But
let's take a look now at some other more serious reports, where we
are warned about how computers and robots are taking over our jobs:
Industrial
robots, whose market in China is showing promising signs as workers
get replaced due to higher labor costs...
Efficient,
working 24-7, no need to talk, eat, or drink, and best of all, you
don’t have to pay them.
There are more benefits to having robots working for you. They don’t get hurt.
There are more benefits to having robots working for you. They don’t get hurt.
From
driving cars to caring for the elderly, many of the tasks humans
perform
today
will soon be taken over by robots and other forms of artificial
intelligence, experts say.
- According to CNN, there will be 10,000 robots working to fulfill customer orders in Amazon.com warehouses by the end of 2014…
PC World has just done a report on a new warehouse robot known as “UBR-1″. This robot is intended to perform tasks “normally done by human workers”…
- According to CNN, restaurants all over the nation are going to automated service, and a recent University of Oxford study concluded that there is a 92 percent chance that most fast food jobs will be automated in the coming years…
- And robots are even threatening extremely skilled professions such as doctors. For instance, just check out this excerpt from a Bloomberg article entitled “Doctor Robot Will See You Shortly“…
- And this is just the beginning. In a previous article, I discussed the groundbreaking study by Dr. Carl Frey and Dr. Michael Osborne of Oxford University which came to the conclusion that 47 percent of all U.S. jobs could be automated within the next 20 years.
Rise
of the robots: Humans will compete with droids for jobs by 2040,
study claims.
(DailyMail)
By
2040, cabs will be driven by Google robots, shops will become
showrooms for online outlets and call centers will be staffed by
intelligent droids.
That’s
the scenario depicted in recent research which suggests robots could
be taking over our lives and jobs in less than 30 years.
Humans
need not apply: A world where technology replaces workers. (CSMonitor)
"It
is getting easier and easier to avoid hiring people by taking
advantage of technology,"...
increasingly, they substitute machine power for human brainpower.
And
their powers will only grow. Computing power doubles every 18 months
to two years.
And
you can find many articles just like these. And it's not a shocking
surprise when you think about it, you can see how machines and
technology have replaced humans for a long time already, at banks,
grocery stores, at factories, etc, etc. In fact, a single machine
(like redbox, or netflix) now replaces an entire local movie-video
stores full of employees.
So,
when you start to familiarize yourself with the technology movement
you realize how fast it's moving, pushing humanity “at the edge”
of a robotic revolution.
Now,
I could end this article right now and be somewhat satisfied with it.
But there are various other reports that I just cannot omit.
Not
only the experts are warning us about the employment crisis and the
overtaking of our jobs, but in fact there is a graver warning which
we need to take heed to.
Elon
Musk Warns AIs Could Exterminate Humanity. (Forbes)
- Superintelligent computers will likely exterminate humanity, predicts the boss of Tesla Motors and Space X.
“We
need to be super careful with AI,” he said. “Potentially more
dangerous than nukes.”
“Hope
we’re not just the biological boot loader for digital
superintelligence. Unfortunately, that is increasingly probable.”
- Professor Bostrom, the founding director of the Future of Humanity Institute, suggests that the first superintelligent entity will wipe out our race. “We humans are like small children playing with a bomb,” he writes.
- Mr Barrat suggested that even if the superintelligence were created with good intentions, it would still be inclined to commit genocide.
Artificial
intelligence 'could be the worst thing to happen to humanity':
Stephen Hawking warns that rise of robots may be disastrous for
mankind. (MailOnline)
Artificial
Intelligence, disguised as helpful digital assistants and
self-driving vehicles, is gaining a foothold – and it could one
day spell the end for mankind.
This
is according to Stephen Hawking who has warned that humanity faces an
uncertain future as technology learns to think for itself and adapt
to its environment.
‘Although
we are facing potentially the best or worst thing to happen to
humanity in history, little serious research is devoted to these
issues.
By
2029, computers will be able to understand our language, learn from
experience and outsmart even the most intelligent humans, according
to Google’s director of engineering Ray Kurzweil.
Killer
robots programmed to open fire without human control are just a
“small step” from the battlefield and military powers should
agree to outlaw them, a top United Nations official has said.
Robots
could murder us out of KINDNESS unless they are taught the value of
human life, engineer claims.
(MailOnline)
Future
generations could be exterminated by Terminator-style robots unless
machines are taught the value of human life.
Speaking
at a conference in Sweden, she said robots could decide that the
greatest compassion to humans as a race is to get rid of everyone.
After
reading all this, specially if you fully read each article here
posted, we start to realize that the robotic revolution is not a joke
nor a conspiracy theory. Is a fact, it is happening and these are
just a few articles about the subject.
In
addition, this information is just what general public is 'allowed'
to know, imagine what we don't know, secret government projects or
private company's researches.
Considering
that, according to Moore's law, technology doubles every 18 months
roughly, and according to koomey's law energy efficiency doubles
every 18 months also, we can just start to imagine how the world
would look like in just a few years from today.
This
can only make us think that the idea of being “AT THE EDGE” of a
robot apocalypse, is very possible considering the fact that man, for
the first time in history, has the ability of creating such scenario.
After
absorbing all this information, what do we do from here?
If
you stare too hard and too long at this agglomeration of articles,
you can start to despair, get anxious, or just freak out.
But
thank God for his word, in which we find hope, comfort and
encouragement.
First
of all Jesus, foreseen the future, prophesied that there would be
troublesome times at the end times:
Matthew 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Matthew 24:22
And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be
saved: but for
the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
The
book of Daniel also tells us how the world would like at the end
times.
Even
as the knowledge of the bible and the prophecies was going to
increase, also scientific and technological knowledge was going to
grow exponentially:
Daniel
12:4
But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even
to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge
shall be increased.
So,
all this shouldn't take us by surprise, it should all just affirm our
belief in His imminent return.
God
also gave us words of encouragement and hope that can comfort us in
times of fear or anxiety:
Isaiah
41:10
Don't be afraid, because I'm with you; don't be anxious, because I
am your God. I keep on strengthening you; I'm truly helping you. I'm
surely upholding you with my victorious right hand." (ISV)
Jesus
also gave us words of solace for times of distress:
John
14:27
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world
giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let
it be afraid.
Dear
friends, we are “AT THE EDGE” of a turning point in human
history. The epic climax of all times is almost 'at the door'. All
these events, catastrophes, agitations, are increasing as 'birth
pains', which can only tell us one thing, and that is the
unavoidable, inescapable and unpreventable fact that our Lord, Master
and Savior Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is returning imminently.
Are
you ready?
Is
your life spiritually prepared for such event?
Are
you doing everything in your power to prepare your family and your
loved ones?
Are
we leaving the pleasures of this world aside and embracing Jesus?
It
is my prayer that it will be so.
May
God bless your life and families. Shalom.
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