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Smart, But Not Dangerous: Striking The Right Balance On Machines That Think

A screenshot from one of Professor Bongard's videos shows a robot "dreaming" about how to move.
courtesy of Josh Bongard
A screenshot from one of Professor Bongard's videos shows a robot "dreaming" about how to move.

In order to be as useful as possible, robots need to be able to think and act for themselves. But with that autonomy can come serious concerns about human safety. We're talking about teaching machines how to be smart and independent, without kicking off a robot uprising.

Joining us for the discussion is Josh Bongard. He runs UVM's Morphology, Evolution and Cognition laboratory. His research centers on evolutionary robotics, evolutionary computation and physical simulation.

Check out his website for a lot of cool videos and other material.

Broadcast live on Friday, March 9, 2018 at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

Ric was a producer for Vermont Edition and host of the VPR Cafe.
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