Control the robots, control the world

Sarah Connor Chronicles - TechRadar's three word review: good, hot robot
Sarah Connor Chronicles - TechRadar's three word review: good, hot robot

A leading professor in Artificial Intelligence has suggested that the people that control the robots will control the world in the 21st century.

The chilling claim, which, less surprisingly, comes from a report commissioned by Warner to mark the DVD release of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, is made by the University of Sheffield's Professor Noel Sharkey.

Lacking motivation?

Sharkey, Professor of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics has looked at trends in robotics, and comes to the conclusion that robots probably won't take over the world, but they will be the tools for the people who do.

"The robots themselves will not be super-intelligent and will not be motivated to take over themselves, but those who control the robots will control society," he said, adding that controversy will be widespread as robots gain access to massive databases of personal and private information.

Sharkey's research also looked at the likely progression of robots, suggesting crime-fighting machines will be sitting in trouble hot-spots by 2040, self-driving police cars will be in existence by 2070 and 2082 will see humanoid robots policing the nation.

Dismissed as fantastical

"Hollywood movies and TV shows such as Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles have been dismissed as fantastical over the years," added Sharkey

"But this report, based on existing research and current technological developments, suggests that robots will play a much bigger role in society over the next 75 years than previously anticipated.

"These robot developments could be extremely beneficial in the protection of citizens and police in the hands of benevolent governments."

Following Monday's news that robot soldiers will proliferate by 2020 we would like to reiterate our willingness to bow down to our robot overlords…and those that control them.

Patrick Goss

Patrick Goss is the ex-Editor in Chief of TechRadar. Patrick was a passionate and experienced journalist, and he has been lucky enough to work on some of the finest online properties on the planet, building audiences everywhere and establishing himself at the forefront of digital content.  After a long stint as the boss at TechRadar, Patrick has now moved on to a role with Apple, where he is the Managing Editor for the App Store in the UK.