Thinking, reproductive machines Eventually our probes will have to think, at some level, for themselves, Doyle says. Another huge advantage for a probe would be the ability to repair and reproduce itself or even create an infrastructure for succeeding missions using local materials, he adds. At this moment the universe may be filled with intelligent machines zipping between stars in profound conversation while their lonely biological creators cling to fragile planetary ecosystems, Shostak imagines. If we re squatting under that Algonquin Round Table, the One Hectare Telescope SETI is building with funds from Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen and former Microsoft Chief Technology Officer Nathan P. Myhrvold, could help us eavesdrop on the erudite discussion. Shostak isn t banking on a dinner invitation, either.
Entomologists study ant colonies, but they don t petition to take tea with the queen ant.
It s a humbling thought for a species like ours with highfalutin ideas about its place in the universe . And there s scarce chance of containing the genie in a bottle, on Earth or elsewhere, according to one artificial intelligence theorist. But without the full creative powers of a free mind, it won t be nearly as effective, he points out. Beyond that, Mills cautions that humans have made the mistake of trying stunt the intellectual development of sentient beings before. We did it to ourselves when enslaved African-Americans were forbidden to read.