The Fourth Age: Smart Robots, Conscious Computers, and the Future of Humanity

Cela donne une bonne idée du futur et de ses inconvénients.

Amazing what is coming soon

Because disclaimers always come first, I have to tell you that a representative of GigaOM reached out to me on Twitter in 2018 asking if I wanted to read the book and sent me an EPUB. I started reading and I liked it so much that I decided to buy the paperback as soon as it became available on Amazon.That said, this is an unbiased review – with the only “bias”, if you allow me, being my unconditional love of machines.But this book is more on the human than on the machine. In fact, the author Byron Reese focuses on the ages of technological progress, from language and fire in the First, to the development of sophisticated AI and robots in the Fourth.And how will human life change in the Fourth Age thanks to these catalysts? Reese investigates on the possibilities, especially what will happen to the concept of “human” if (when?) humankind will ever be able to build a sophisticated artificial general intelligence (AGI), a conscious machine. Will the machines be human, too?Reese also attempts to answer (with the collaboration of the reader) some current hot questions: will robots eventually take our jobs? What about the use of robots in warfare?Personally, I follow Haikonen’s robot consciousness research (and I dream to be able to “program” it in a robot one day) but it’s far from building a Terminator and I hope for humanity’s sake that we’ll always put restrictions on robots even if we manage to make them slightly conscious. The best way to not run the risk of technology taking over is to not build that something at all.The good news, to say it with Reese, is that "We use our technology, generally speaking, for good."But the author also investigates on some directions progress may take, like ending poverty and hunger, fighting disease, develop more clean energy and extend life. As always, he leaves it up to the reader to decide on various matters, from technology to immortality.All in all, I found Reese’s book thought provoking and a good analysis of the human way to handle progress and civilization."The fact that progress exists at all speaks quite well of us as a species, for it relies on cooperation, honesty, and benevolence. It involves selflessness as well as empathy." -- Byron ReeseI also enjoyed the author's writing style: personable yet neutral, and it runs smoothly when you read it. The only reason it took me two years to finish this book is because it's information-packed and dense in citations and questions, so sometimes reading one page got me thinking for the whole days and I just couldn't progress with the reading.But you know what? I'm glad it took me this long. Living with this book for a while helped me mature as a human being, I believe, and start looking at things a bit differently and with more critical sensibility.I wholeheartedly recommend this book to all people who have a passion for technology and who have questions about life, society and the world.- Luana Spinetti

Fantastic book! So timely. Everybody talks about AI and robots these days, but it seems so vast and truly mysterious, that I think most of us feel totally lost. Where does this all start? Where is it going? How does it end? Along comes Reese to lend us a friendly, down-to-earth, seminar-style book that gathers all the buzzwords and scary headlines and sorts through it for us with convincing simplicity and clarity. I have been struggling to frame the notion of AI for myself, first in terms of current technology, including everything from smart shopping to drones, and then onto the larger contentious SCI FI themes, like robot warfare. It's been a welcome escape to switch over to "The Humans are Dead", by Flight of the Conchords. Now Reese has spelled out, and rather nicely outlined, the issues for me in a way that I can easily grasp and feel more confident in discussing with my friends. He has filled in most of the gaps in my understanding. I can now tell the difference between the freeway billboards marketing the latest smart this-or-that, and the types of concerns that have kept eminent scientists awake at night. It was very refreshing that Reese was brave enough to say "we simply don't know" a number of times. It gets old when so many other visionaries are exactly naming the future year when we can kiss humanity goodbye. Or, as Reese seems to urge, the time when we can truly solve our big problems through technology.

A very interesting exploration of the modern day realties around robotics and it's potential to change humanity as we know it. The book challenges you to think about your stance and contemplate the impact of things like transhumanism, robots replacing human labour power and the ability of robots/computers to compete with the human brain/mind.