Microsoft-Backed AI Learns How To Play Minecraft By Watching Online Videos

You might think unleashing an AI that is capable of identifying a task, learning how to perform that task, and then carrying out that task is essentially how the plotline of movies like “The Matrix” and “Terminator” ended up playing out … and you would be correct. But this isn’t about bringing an end to sentient life on Earth or dominating block-based video games — in fact, it could actually benefit humanity massively. “Minecraft” itself isn’t a simple game. Accomplishing tasks like creating a diamond pickaxe requires players to get comfortable with a variety of different skill sets.

Machines capable of learning independently, carrying out tasks, and making connections on their own could impact every area of our lives. We could advance our knowledge further than ever before, and even rediscover things we forgot millennia ago. Artificial intelligence — and especially neural networks — are already playing a huge role in the business, research, and technology sectors, and that role is only going to get bigger as the machine learning process improves. In terms of what machine learning could contribute to research, imagine having a bunch of PhD-level scientists who never tire and are intent on working 24 hours a day.

However, many top scientists and key figures in the world of technology have warned of the dangers that AI could pose. OpenAI founder Elon Musk even described the concept as “potentially more dangerous than nukes.” Earlier this year, the AI research lab’s top scientist, Ilya Sutskever, warned that the larger neural networks being used at the moment may be developing a kind of consciousness, which might be bad news.