Moral Machines

Intelligent and autonomous systems are increasingly enhancing and redefining our lives. The applications for these technologies are vast and breathtaking, from self-driving cars and the use of ‘drones’ in disaster and humanitarian efforts to intelligent algorithms as ‘weapons’ against terrorism. But the rapid development of ever-more-intelligent machines is as controversial as it is exhilarating. The greater the autonomy, the more moral behaviours required, and the more complex the ethical challenges raised. So what does the future hold? Is it correct to fear an impending “intelligence explosion”, one that, in the words of tech giants Bill Gates and Elon Musk, is “humanity’s biggest existential threat” and has the potential to “destroy us all”?