New York, Feb 14 (IANS) Within 30 years, machines will be capable of doing almost any job that a human can, making human labour obsolete, a US scientist has said.
"We are approaching a time when machines will be able to outperform humans at almost any task," said Moshe Vardi, a computer scientist at US-based Rice University.
"I believe that society needs to confront this question before it is upon us: If machines are capable of doing almost any work humans can do, what will humans do?" phys.org quoted Vardi as saying on Saturday.
Vardi will be addressing the issue "Smart Robots and Their Impact on Society," at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington -- one of the world's largest and most prestigious scientific meetings -- on Sunday.
"The question I want to put forward is, 'Does the technology we are developing ultimately benefit mankind?'" Vardi said.
At the event he would be presenting evidences about pace of advancement in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) is increasing.
"A typical answer is that if machines will do all our work, we will be free to pursue leisure activities," Vardi noted, adding "I do not find this a promising future, as I do not find the prospect of leisure-only life appealing. I believe that work is essential to human well-being."
The scientist asked the humans to rise to the occasion and meet this challenge before human labour becomes obsolete.
