U.K. Scientists Warn of "Planet of the Apes Scenario"

[Rooster Cogburn]

What might be interesting to talk about is the possibility of creating a "Frankenstein's monster". Not the lumbering beast from the movies, but the poor thinking devil who gets built in Frankenstein's dorm room (not how you pictured it, huh?) and then is forced to cope with a world full of cruelty and the horror of his own existence. I know it's far off and far-fetched, but there are examples of primates communicating with humans in shockingly advanced ways like sign language. And some things the animals expressed were advanced, abstract concepts like emotions.

If you've ever felt like an outcast, don't read Frankenstein unless you want your heart wrenched. Makes you think twice about constructing an intelligence in a world which has no place for it.

 

[Casual Shinji]

I think I just dropped my banana out fear...

Fear of the thought that actual scientists could seriously think this.

 

[FalloutJack]

What a silly fear. Obviously the robots will exterminate both us and our gorilla super soldiers long before this becomes something to worry about.

Not if their software comes outta' Microsoft.

OT: Unless this somehow creates Godzilla, I'm not really worried here.

 

[Treblaine]

I can already see the scenario now:


"These [are] possibilities that are at the moment largely explored in fiction [that] we need to start thinking about now."

Waaay ahead of ya, buddy.

 

[yookiwooki]

What a load of bullshit...

Looks like somebody got a kickback from Hollywood to allude to Rise of the Planet of the Apes in their research paper.

 

[Quaxar]

Why would you want to make apes more humanlike anyway? Laser eyes I understand but like us...?

It's so you can test pharmaceutical, and other, procedures and drugs in as close to a human scenario as possible, without human testing.

There should be more than enough crazy/poor people willing to take up medication testing as a job. Let them have their share from the pharmaceutical market I say!

 

[Pinkamena]

Yeeeeaaah... I don't know. I'm more concerned about the ethics surrounding the topic.

 

[Grand_Arcana]

Prof Baldwin, professor of philosophy at the University of York, recommended applying the "Great Ape Test". If modified monkeys began to acquire abilities similar to those of chimpanzees, it was time to "hold off".

This bastard is not a even a scientist. This is like when that marine biologist said that the atom smasher (I forget the proper term) would create a black hole.

 

[Merkavar]

well on the plus side this might end human on human wars/violence cause we would be too busy killing off the ginks and morlocks

 

[TConti]

A couple hundred thousand super intelligent monkeys scattered around the entire planet vs seven billion humans with combined militarily forces totaling around ten million and they think nature has a chance?

 

[archvile93]

I'm more worried about the constant effort to make life easier by creating the real AI. How much easier can it get? People are starting to become really fuckin' lazy. They are making things way to easy for our future robot masters.

Seriously, people need to stop with this sci-fi crap. If monkeys try something they will simply shoot them and shut down the experiment. Real life isn't like Hollywood. That's why zombie outbreak will never happen.

I won't be satisfied with how lazy science has allowed me to be until I can have my body parts replaced with cybernetic components that are strong enough to snap a healthy adult grizzley bear's neck like a twig.

OT: If we do make intelligent animals I really hope we install a failsafe in all of them for just such an occassion, like little remote bombs inplanted in their brains.

 

[teh_Canape]

considering how the world is going right now

Spoiler

it will be Planet of the Ponies

 

[Yelchor]

I'm surprised if this isn't a publicity tactic for the coming Planet of the Apes reboot.

What I do not understand is the automatic response of fear/distrust towards scientific advancement. Animal experimentation has existed since we began using them with selective breeding. In recent years our understanding of biological factors has increased a hundred fold atleast, enabling us to improve our lives and save countless others from disease and other things for which there was previously no treatment.

While I see no need to create sentient life forms, such research is from my understanding vital for the understanding of several neurological conditions that cripple people today. Just as former research was for enabling breakthroughs in other areas.

For me, the creation of sentient life wouldn't be difficult to adjust to. All we need to do is rephrase the Human Rights as "The Rights of Sentinence".

 

[Cousin_IT]

Why would you promote what will almost certainly be an awful film like this? Think of the ethical consequences of this for a second. This article may very well contribute in some small way to that terrible looking film making money.

 

[Lonan]

Because humans only outnumber other primates one to a million, and have guns, tanks, helicopters, and fighter/bomber aircraft. This is really ridiculous, especially considering that all the animals experimented on are in cages. And even if they somehow broke out, we have these things called the "police" and the "army" to contain a few apes that can figure out how to turn a doorknob.

 

[Andothul]

There are less then 500,000 Great Apes in the entire world and their numbers dwindle

There are over 6.9 Billion Humans in the entire world and that number is set to double with in the next 50 years.

I am sooooooo scared.

 

[AndyFromMonday]

This is more of a debate about the ethics of making apes smarter than them taking us over. People, let's face it. Planet of the Apes was a stretch of the imagination bigger than the fucking canyon. Even IF we get an apes to the same level as us it is utterly impossible for them to take us over on the count of having a huge fucking army and loads of rednecks with guns.

 

[Davatehi]

Smart monkeys? HA! They will all fall against the might of our newest anti-monkey weapon:

Spoiler