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“HUMANS WILL HAVE A ROBOT SECOND SELF THAT KNOWS EVERYTHING ABOUT THEM”

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Humans will have a 'robot second self' that knows everything about them and acts as a digital extension of their consciousness within just 20 years, claim Microsoft experts.

Robot 'alter-egos' that are a digital extension of our consciousness and know everything about us will soon be a reality.

That's according to Microsoft executive, Brad Smith and Harry Shum, who are working to develop advanced AI software capable of mimicking human thought.

This breakthrough - which some fear could spell the beginning of the end for humanity - will come over the next two decades, they say.

They also warn that controls should be put in place to prevent intelligent machines from acting against the interests of society and people. 

Robot 'alter-egos' that know everything about you will become an everyday reality within 20 years, say artificial intelligence experts. This breakthrough, which some fear could spell the beginning of the end for humanity, will come over the next two decades, they say ...

Microsoft president Brad Smith and executive vice president of artificial intelligence and research Harry Shum have written a book called 'The Future Computed' detailing their predictions for the future of AI.

They believe that, as artificial intelligence becomes more sophisticated, it will be more heavily integrated into our daily routines.

A future version of the firm's Cortana could automatically communicate with your calendar while you sleep to organise your schedule for the next day, the book forecasts.

Such machines would know everything about you and even think like you.

Speaking to Business Insider, Mr Shum said: 'I think predicting the future is always hard, but one thing Brad and I firmly believe is that the ultimate form of AI is a digital assistant that really understands you, and with your permission knows everything about you.

'Internally we use the words 'alter ego' - really a second self.'

The technology has more sinister implications that could present problems if not addressed, however.

Handing over control of parts of our lives to machines that think like us raises the prospect of that power being abused or misused.

Microsoft says that governments and academics are best placed to tackle these tricky moral issues.

Mr Smith added: 'You have people in the tech sector focused intensely on issues like ethics for AI, and there's interaction with academia and universities about this, but this needs to be a conversation that brings in people from across society.

'We make the point that tech companies will know more than anybody else about how the technology works, but that doesn't mean that tech companies will know best how AI should be used in ways that are societally responsible and beneficial.'

A number of high profile figures in the world of science and technology have previously raised concerns over the future of AI.

Among them is Elon Musk who, in a talk given in November 2017, claimed that efforts to make AI safe only have 'a five to 10 per cent chance of success.'

The warning came shortly after Musk claimed that regulation of artificial intelligence was drastically needed because it's a 'fundamental risk to the existence of human civilisation.'

The billionaire said regulations will stop humanity from being outsmarted by computers, or 'deep intelligence in the network', that can start wars by manipulating information.

Governments must have a better understanding of artificial intelligence technology's rapid evolution in order to fully comprehend the risks, the Space X and Tesla CEO said in July 2017.

'Once there is awareness, people will be extremely afraid, as they should be.

'By the time we are reactive in AI regulation, it'll be too late,' he added.

The billionaire made the comments during a question-and-answer session at the summer conference of the National Governors Association in Rhode Island.

Pressed for more specific guidance, Musk said the first step is for government to get a better understanding of the fast-moving achievements in developing artificial intelligence technology.

He has previously compared AI to 'summoning the devil'.

© Tim Collins