Paranoid about androids: Brits fear AI
Brits are increasingly fearful of the impact robots could have on our society in the future.
New research reveals over half of UK adults (58 per cent) are worried about the impact of robots, with two fifths (41 per cent) believing robots will destroy humanity as we know it.
The survey, commissioned by Sky, echos concerns raised by physicist Stephen Hawking and tech entrepreneur Elon Musk that artificial intelligence (AI) could pose a serious threat to humans.
Less ominous warnings have suggested many service industry jobs could be lost as a result of automation. PwC experts have predicted we’ll get the world’s first fully automated, robot-served hotel by 2022.
“We are likely to see robots integrated into society in the near future as shop assistants, receptionists, doctors, bar tenders and also as carers for our elderly and children,” said Noel Sharkey, professor of AI and robotics at the University of Sheffield.
“It’ll all happen very gradually.”