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Machine helpers: handy or hazardous?

When it comes to using machines and robots to help us with complex jobs or everyday tasks, where do the boundaries lie? 

Delegates in Davos had the chance to interact with their machine counterparts one-on-one, such as with ABB’s YuMi industrial robot. 

Discussions at Davos got heated over the question of whether to fear or welcome machines that are smarter than humans. 

“We will be going beyond a limit that people find tolerable. This is a new development that requires new regulations,” Philip Jennings, General Secretary of the UNI Global Union, told swissinfo.ch

“Are we in the business of mistrusting smarter people?” asked Manuela Veloso, a professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University in the United States. “I wish there were robots that were smarter than me at investing my money or changing my utility provider. I wish there were robots that could make better decisions than I do. There are so many benefits to having machines that can reason better than our limited ways.” 

More on that debate here: 

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SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR