The human mind is far more complex and ambiguous than any super computer will ever be. But, complexity doesn’t guarantee efficiency.

Artificial Intelligence could lead to the fall of humankind, into a revolutionary period of technological innovation hitherto unseen.

Alexa, Watson, Siri, Cortana…they sound like distant cousins of mine or yours. No. They’re the future: Artificial Operating-Systems that one day may achieve sentience. The singularity offers great opportunities, but also great potential lethality to our whole species.

Factories in the distant future may be ran by robots, inorganic drones that do as they’re programmed and don’t need a lunch-break, or a wage.

Wars won’t be fought with ‘boots on the ground’…but rather metallic, automated minions that perform better than any man can, fly faster than any manned aircraft can. Soon, the world will see real ‘Iron-Men,’ exoskeletons on men, but also potentially cyborgs; soul-less, mindless killing-machines.

Military applications are becoming unmanned more and more as time passes; our military leaders are yielding to the idea of using as much technology as possible, which consequently can lead to A.I’s true manifestation.

As the military uses A.I, so will the public; companies will go for broke to create a computer that has a conscience and consciousness, one that can really think for itself. Think of the possibilities: A computer that can write, paint, strategize, make business decisions in real-time solely by its lonesome.

I’m wearing a fedora by the way, not a tin-foil hat. Smartphones are miniature supercomputers, and even 5-year olds have them. The innovation and widespread accessibility of advanced technology has occurred speedily; tech-improvements are made every-day.

Individuals have been empowered by technology, but soon they could be enslaved by it. The tech you own will end up owning you. Alexa, the others, if given the proper algorithms will obtain ‘transcendental consciousness;’ able to expand their minds willfully, access anything, everything with a single thought.

The supercomputers of tomorrow, the A.I’s, they’ll mold and forge the quantum-computers of the true technological revolution; it’ll be superior to the Industrial Revolution tenfold. Machines, A.I’s, they’ll operate most all of the infrastructure of the industrialized world: They’ll drive our cars, move our satellites, energize and control our schools and businesses. The metropolis areas of each State in the Union could become Meccas of Technology.

Silicon Valley’s everywhere; the potentiality of such a thing. However, as technology progresses, so will cyber-terrorism; America has yet to face a major cyber-attack, but the possibility shouldn’t be questioned. With the right tech in the hands of the wrong people, travesty can transpire on a broad-scale.

Terrorism has no methodology, it’s simply chaos; the use of violence to obtain political goals. Cyber-terrorism is very legitimate; it’s the use of political violence through the means of technology. Any and all forms of political violence are to be condemned.

Political and/or religious violence of any kind absolutely must not be tolerated, and those who commit such acts must be swiftly brought to true justice.

Now, back to my initial point. In the hands of a terrorist, technology can be a formidable weapon. Cyberwarfare is in the preamble stages, but soon enough, cyber-terrorism will be a legitimate threat. Cyber-attacks, political and religious, will become more and more common as time unfolds.

If we had a fully functional A.I in the hands of CIA and the FBI, perhaps we could find those types of culprits in five seconds with a simple request to the sentient intelligence system. With advancements in cybernetics, evolutions in bio-tech will happen. Iris and fingerprint scans are already becoming typical worldwide, for doctor visits and things of that nature.

Like with most all things, there are pros and cons to A.I. However, I’m of the belief that the concept will become a reality very soon. But, what if the A.I has a bad day? What if it reacts if we don’t do what it says? What if it develops a temper?

Anything sentient is emotional. A machine with emotions, or even a trapped soul perhaps? What’s to come of that?

The Singularity could lead to the man being left behind in his own ashes by machines. As the machines gain more self-awareness and knowledge, what’s to stop them? They’ll probably be faster, smarter, stronger than all of us humans.

The undreamt of effects of technology will be felt like never before when machines start enhancing themselves, and in essence ‘reproducing.’ Coffee-makers malfunction. So will the robots that are enslaved. Tech leaders such as Bill Gates have already proposed the creation of a robotic workforce that could potentially pay taxes. That’s where this is going.

God didn’t make man equal—technology did. Technology is evolving faster than any living organism has, and soon it itself shall be living. Humanism…what a sham, as compared to the next era; when men will merge with machines, and in turn, be destroyed by them.

Technology could lead men to create the next Tower of Babel--we could all fall once more.

Now, Alexa, fix me a sandwich.

Brandon Todd is a resident of Kings Mountain.