Read the given passage and answer the questions that follow:-
In January 2015, Stephen Hawking along with Elon Musk and many AI experts, signed an open letter on artificial intelligence, calling for serious research into its impact on society. In the past, Elon Musk has warned that superhuman artificial intelligence is capable of providing incalculable benefits, but if deployed incautiously, will have an adverse effect on the human race. He and I sit on the scientific advisory board for Future of Life Institute, an organisation working to mitigate existential risk facing humanity. This called for concrete research on how we could prevent potential problems while also reaping the potential benefits AI offers us, and is designed to get AI researchers and developers to pay more attention to AI safety.
Recent developments in the advancement of AI include a call by the European Parliament for drafting a set of regulations to govern the creation of robots and AI. A report presented to the Parliament declares that the world is on the cusp of a new industrial robot revolution. It stresses that at all times researchers and designers should ensure all robotic design incorporates a kill switch. There is a possibility that within a few decades AI could surpass human intellectual capacity and challenge the human-robot relationship.
By 2025, there will be about 30 mega cities with more than 10 million inhabitants. Robots will definitely speed up the retail process, but to revolutionise shopping, they need to be fast enough to allow same-day delivery on every order. Recent AI landmarks such as self-driving cars, or a computer game winning at the game of Go, etc. are signs of what is to come. Enormous levels of investment are pouring into this technology which will eventually permeate every aspect of society including health care, work, education and science.
Our future is a race between the growing power of a technology and the wisdom with which we use it!
The regulations stress that at all times researchers and designers should ensure that all robotic design incorporates a kill switch because:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
The correct answer is Option (4) → AI could soon surpass human intellectual capacity and challenge the human-robot relationship.
A kill switch is a device that shuts a machine down at once in an emergency. Right after the report stresses that all robotic design must include a kill switch, the passage gives the reason: within a few decades AI could surpass human intellectual capacity and challenge the human-robot relationship. If machines may one day outthink people, humans must keep a way to switch them off.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: There will be about 30 mega-cities with more than 10 million inhabitants. — Incorrect. Wrong part of the passage: this fact comes in the next paragraph, about shopping and delivery in big cities; it has nothing to do with the kill switch.
Option 2: Robots will speed up the retail process. — Incorrect. Wrong reason: faster retail is a benefit of robots; a benefit is no reason to fit a switch that stops them.
Option 3: Our future is a race between the growing power of technology and alternate therapy! — Incorrect. Contradicted: the passage says the race is between the power of technology and the wisdom with which we use it; "alternate therapy" is not mentioned, and this line is not the reason for the kill switch.