The ramifications of this are disturbing!
There are some interesting robotic evolution experiments going on over in Switzerland that could have horrifying results.
Researchers from the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems of the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale of Lausanne, Switzerland have been experimenting with evolutionary robotics, and achieved successful results that should be alarming to the human race. Some of the researchers’ robots are learning to cooperate with each other, while others are learning to become better predators.
You can read the full article here.
The lab’s experiments involving a “simple” neural network and a “co-evolutionary” process between prey robots and predator robots. I.e. Both predator and prey robots develop measures and countermeasures in response to each other.
The experiments showed that pred-bots learned how to outflank and approach prey within sensor blind spots and countered the prey’s superior speed using ambush tactics, choosing to lie in wait against the walls of the enclosure.
In response, the prey-bots learned to never turn its back on the prey-bots once spotted, keeping them in sensor view all the time by retreating backwards. The prey-bots also learned to stay away from the walls to avoid the pred-bots’ ambushes.
The robots also learned how to co-operate and work as a team to complete a common goal of moving small and large tokens. The small tokens could be moved by a single robot but awarded fewer points. The larger token required two robots to move and awarded higher points. In the co-operation experiments, the robots succeeded 100% of the time.
Furthermore, the robots demonstrated selected kinship by choosing to help only those robots from the same co-operation “code lineage”, thus mirroring the behaviours seen in nature.
This is both fascinating and frightening! We could very well be looking at the seeds of our own destruction.
