How soon will it be before robots become so intelligent that they will be able to do things, such as teaching languages or looking after patients in hospital? Some experts believe this will happen within twenty years while others disagree.
One London company, UAS, (University Automated Systems) has already developed some machines that can be used as "home helps" for old people unable to look after themselves and who are living on their own or in special homes. These machines can now do such things as cooking eggs and cleaning the floor, and the company says that future models will also accept simple voice instructions and be controlled by a "brain" that is the equivalent (替代品) of the latest IBM microcomputer. The director of UAS, Mr Henry Jeffries, believes that in the next five to ten years, companies will have developed even more sophisticated (复杂的) robots for use in industry. By that time, it is likely that they will also have begun to sell new forms of these machines into ordinary homes. Robots could do a wide range of household tasks, such as preparing meals, washing dishes, cleaning houses and so on. By then, the price of such machines may have come down to as little as $ 1, 000.
But Dr Sandra Lomax, who has done some research about artificial intelligence at Sussex University and MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), believes we have a long way to go before we can develop truly intelligent machines.
Preparing an omelette (煎蛋) may seem easy enough. But suppose one of the eggs has gone bad, even the most "intelligent" robot would probably still use it. If something slightly unusual needs doing—something that requires a little of ordinary human imagination, a robot is useless. They need programming for even the simplest tasks and are not able to learn from experience. "Teaching a robot how to recognise a bad egg is far more difficult than teaching it to prepare the omelette," she says.
We don't know how different our life will be in the future. We can only try to imagine it.
At first we think about human relationship. In the year of 2050, we will use computers almost every day; we will be making new friends through the Internet—even our husbands or wives will be met in this way. It will be much faster and easier for us. On the other hand, our relationships with people won't be as important as they are today—we will feel a little lonely.
Computers will also help us in many other activities in 2050. For example, they will be used by the children at school to make their learning easier. In addition, there will be more other machines which will play a similar role as computers, like robots which will do the housework for us.
Spending holidays will also be completely different. Travelling to other planets or to the moon will be available for everyone. Means of transport will, of course, change, too. We will be using solar-powered cars, which will be much environmentally friendly.
We could expect that the faster economic development would lead to a more polluted environment. But it would not be true. We will pay more attention to protecting the environment. Scientists will probably find cures for many dangerous diseases, like cancer or AIDS. Therefore, our surroundings as well as health will be in better condition.
Although we cannot predict the exact changes which will be made in the world, we often think about them. We worry about our children's future; we have expectations, hopes as well as fears. But I think we should be rather sanguine about our future. We should be happy and believe good things will happen.
