Microsoft Head of Research Eric Horvitz Says Artificial Intelligence Does Not Pose a Threat to Mankind

Microsoft head of research Eric Horvitz said, "Though machines will eventually achieve human-like consciousness, they do not pose a threat to the survival of mankind." Horvitz said, "There have been concerns about the long-term prospect that we lose control of certain kinds of intelligences, but I fundamentally don't think that's going to happen. I think that we will be very proactive in terms of how we field artificial intelligence (AI) systems and that in the end they'll be able to get incredible benefits from machine intelligence in all realms of life, from science to education to economics to daily life."

He admitted that the procession of AI towards super-intelligence would present challenges in realms of privacy, law and ethics, but concluded that AI doomsday scenarios belong more in the realm of science fiction than science fact.

Horvitz explained that they have Cortana and Siri and Google Now setting up a competitive tournament for where is the best intelligent assistant going to come from and that kind of competition is going to heat up the research and investment, and bring it more into the spotlight.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates said that he is in the camp that is concerned about super intelligence. Gates added that he does not understand why some people are not concerned.

Source-Medindia