16
POPSMacaques make democratic decisions Whether or not the individual monkeys were successful in getting the rest of the group to follow them didn't seem to relate to their age, sex or status. "Even the children can get the group moving," says Cédric Sueur, a graduate student who worked on the study with Petit. The style of decision-making most frequently documented in the animal kingdom is dictatorial. In mountain gorillas, for example, the obedient tribe will follow the dominant male silverback. Horses, mongooses and wolves also follow despotic leaders. But theories are emerging which suggest that mammals who make democratic decisions may have an evolutionary edge because they can pool the experience of each group member.
0
POPSU.S.A.: Robot nation The ultimate American robot is The Terminator, an indestructible killing machine that stops at nothing. If only America had a mile-long assembly line to crank out millions of Schwarzeneggers, its army wouldn't be short of robotic soldiers. Robotic soldiers are only a stopgap measure until real robots can be perfected. Israel already employs bulldozer robots and, on the border with Gaza, a series of wall-mounted machine guns remote-controlled by female soldiers. Fully autonomous robots that make their own decisions about lethality are high on the US military agenda. One battlefield soldier could start a large-scale robot attack in the air and on the ground. This is dangerous new territory for warfare, yet there are no new ethical codes or guidelines in place. I have worked in artificial intelligence for decades, and the idea of a robot making decisions about human termination is terrifying.
3
Pops
Newest Clips
Latest Comments
Most Pops
Print
Save
Turn on live update