I Robot is the first thing that comes to mind when I read the title “Man Computer Symbiosis.”
If you haven’t seen it, I Robot was the movie where robots took over the world, or something like that. As I read the first couple paragraphs it kind of made me un-easy that eventually man and computers would be connected somehow in a symbiotic relationship, with one needing the other in order to function. Using a computer to help you solve a problem is one thing, but completely relying on a machine is slightly frightening. Machines will eventually have some kind of technical problem and could possibly break down on you in the middle of an important process.
If you haven’t seen it, I Robot was the movie where robots took over the world, or something like that. As I read the first couple paragraphs it kind of made me un-easy that eventually man and computers would be connected somehow in a symbiotic relationship, with one needing the other in order to function. Using a computer to help you solve a problem is one thing, but completely relying on a machine is slightly frightening. Machines will eventually have some kind of technical problem and could possibly break down on you in the middle of an important process.
On the other hand, this relationship could be very beneficial for humans. For example, the paragraph that discusses the issue that humans have with thinking problems through in advance. With the help of a computer, problems can be thought through in advance with no issues and be solved more easily and quickly. This program would be “through an intuitively guided trial-and-error procedure in which the computer cooperated, turning up flaws in the reasoning or revealing unexpected turns in the solution.” The human memory can only retain so much, with the mass memory and organization a computer offers, problem solving would be a much simpler process.
There are definitely advantages and disadvantages to using computers or other forms of artificial intelligence. Computers can help in solving difficult problems or storing vital information. They be used in stressful or war situations also. But there is always the question as to how reliable they can really be. The average home computer can freeze, which could cause more harm than good at times. So that is the one disadvantage to relying on technology. I agree that the human mind can only store so much memory. But if I had to store as much memory as a computer, I believe I eventually would shut down also.
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