LETTERS Switching off
Sir: As a research scientist in the field of arti- ficial intelligence for the past 25 years, I would like to reassure your contributor, War- wick Collins, that his fears are groundless. (Not with a bang but a bleep', 8 October). The history of AI is one of failed predictions and scaled-down goals and objectives No, the real menace (as I now realise) is vacuum cleaners. These single-minded machines are motivated solely to clean. And they are, of course, all thoughtlessly interconnected through the National Grid. We must organise effective opposition before further technological enhancements result in a national (if not global) con- sciousness driven by a desire to keep the world free of dust, dirt and crumbs.
As your contributor says: 'Having out- lined the potential threat, those of us who wish to see the matter addressed and prop- erly debated should proceed with proper caution. Our purpose should not be to gen- erate alarm, but to initiate a discussion which is conducted responsibly.'
Let me make a start: all new model vacu- um cleaners should be battery driven, espe- cially those with the free will to control suc- tion Power. We should also attempt to min- imise the simultaneous operation of clean- beappliances (automatic dishwashers ng particularly suspect) on the same household circuit.
Derek Partridge
Professor of Computer Science, University of Exeter, Exeter
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