|Rogerian Argument: Analysis—The AI Debate (IN-CLASS)

In 2014, noted astrophysicist Dr. Stephen Hawking told the BBC, "The primitive forms of artificial intelligence we already have, have proved very useful. But I think the development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race." Hawking has since been joined in his fear of artificial intelligence (AI) by a chorus of tech luminaries, including Elon Musk and Bill Gates. These critics charge that AI is developing at such a pace that its consequences cannot be fully understood nor anticipated. On the other end of the spectrum, AI proponents argue that the technology has the potential to vastly improve life for humans. AI is not something to fear, they say, but to embrace. Can we find consensus on the development of AI? Is there common ground between those that fear AI and those that embrace it? Using a (six paragraph) Rogerian Argument, outline how their solution bridges the divide between the pro and anti-AI camps.

All evidence to support your solution should come from the following sources (use a minimum of five):

• "What Happens When Artificial Intelligence Turns on Us?" (Smithsonian)
• "Intelligent Machines: Do We Really Need to Fear AI?" (BBC News)
• "Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg are waging a war of words over the future of AI" (Business Insider)
• "Artificial Intelligence: Friendly or Frightening?" (LiveScience)
• "The Seven Deadly Sins of AI Predictions" (MIT)
• Artificial Intelligence Will Not Turn into a Frankenstein's Monster" (Guardian)
• "How Artificial Intelligence Will Revolutionize Our Lives" (National Geographic)
• "The Upside of Artificial Intelligence" (Wired)
• "Artificial Intelligence is Our Future. But Will It Save or Destroy Humanity?" (Futurism)
• "Bill Gates Joins Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking in Saying Artificial Intelligence is Scary" (Quartz)
• "Machines That Can Think Will Do More Good Than Harm" (Edge)
• "Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk Are Both Wrong About AI" (Slate)
• "The Case Against Killer Robots, From a Guy Actually Working on Artificial Intelligence" (Fusion)
• "The Case Against Out-of-Control Artificial Intelligence" (AEI)
• "Should We Be Afraid of Robots?" (Newsweek)

In-class : Fri 10.13