Do we really need A.I.?

I love technology.

I am a bit of a geek and have been since I bought my first Mac laptop last year. The things that I know now knows no bounds (comparatively speaking) and I'm always on the look out for all things techie.

I also love the TED website... for the curious, here's the link:

http://www.ted.com/

for all things inspirational I look at TED. Technology, Entertainment, Design. TED is literally a festival of genius. Held each year in the US it is four days of speakers, innovation and discussion immersed in the arts forum. Strange, but true!

So I was amazed at the innovation that Microsoft has to offer at this year's TEDGlobal 2010 in Oxford, UK. Yes, it's happening right here, in the United Kingdom, right now.

Peter Molyneux. Google him. He's British and he's at the top of his game. He's has created what will probably be known as the world's first truly interactive A.I. (Artificial Intelligence). The A.I. has a name... Milo. And Peter presented Milo to the world at TEDGlobal 2010.

I could not contain my excitement... technology and inspiration... at TED!!!

Milo has the appearance of around 12 years old. He acts independently of any human intervention. He speaks, gets worried, and shows happiness. He reacts and interacts with whoever he is speaking to and responds to the tone of voice... he reads body language, learning by the second by adjusting accordingly to the stimulus he is given. To all intents and purposes he exists. And it is truly amazing...

(click on the title of this blog.. Do we really need A.I.? and you'll see what I mean)

Got me thinking... it's strange to think that in the UK, we live in a world of constant human strife. Kids are killing kids, men are going on killing sprees, poverty is rising and we don't trust each other. How is it that we are creating and relating to A.I. like Milo when we have no idea of how to relate to each other? Surely before we start creating more artificial people who will need to interact with humans, we have got to find a way to interact with the society we already have and work together to eliminate the violence and misunderstanding that ends in crimes against us all?

It's just a thought...