iRobot: Artificial Intelligence ... or Artificial Stupidity?

We often think of Artificial Intelligence as a relatively recent creation – but that's not necessarily true. 

Of course, to compare A.I. of the past with what create now would be unfair.  Nonetheless, A.I. has affected thought since Greek mythology. 

Stories of golden robots, homunculi and Golems have fascinated for generations.

More recently, a 240-year-old doll was found that can write any custom text up to 40 letters long using a goose feather and has eyes that follow what it writes. Imagine what the creator of that gadget could do with the tools we have today.

 

 

 

Seems pretty simple in comparison to all the different applications of A.I. we have today.

But as smart as Artificial Intelligence has become, it doesn't take much to thwart its purpose.

For example, iRobot's Roomba seems like a pretty cool piece of technology, right?  It'll vacuum for you, learn where your furniture is, etc.

Unfortunately, it's not smart enough to tell when your pet has left a "present" on the floor for you ... in which case, it just might spread poop over your whole house.

Yup, that's a real Roomba story, worth a chuckle while you read it here.  

This image shows A.I. isn't always a substitute for lack of the real thing.

 

via Facebook

People claim that they fear Artificial Intelligence ... I think artificial stupidity is pretty scary too  - even when it doesn't result in smearing poop across your carpet.

One of the biggest challenges in automated trading is how quickly we can recognize when things aren't going right, and get back to doing the right thing again.  It isn't just about making money, it's about making and keeping money, consistently.

As for the iRobot,  they are aware of the automated poop-spreading issue and are working on a fix. 

Onwards.