Recently I had the pleasure to talk with Dr. Ayanna Howard about her work with artificial intelligence in robotics as well as the future of robotics. Dr. Howard began her career by graduating from Brown University with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering followed by a M.S. and PHD from USC. She's been awarded such honors as being one of MIT's Top 100 Young Inventors as well as the NASA Space Act Award. She's also been able to work at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab. Dr. Howard currently teaches at Georgia Tech. She also went on to found the Human-Automation Systems Lab, HumAnS Lab for short. The goal is to increase the levels of humanized intelligence in automated systems. You can learn more about HumAnS here.
The moment she decided to choose robotics: Dr. Howard stated that she was a big fan of The Bionic Woman growing up. She said from the first moment she saw the show she decided that's what she wanted to do. She wanted to build a bionic woman.
Did she consider David Hanson's BINA48 the next step in robotics: Dr. Howard stated that despite the robot having the past memories and emotions of a real human, could it ever develop new ones? She also pondered what function it served and if it was able to truly learn and become sentient or simply mimic the woman it was based on.
With films like Robocop, Terminator and Chappie being a mainstay will robots ever be able to truly police humans: Dr. Howard stated that there is no simple answer to that question. She emphasized that to be peace keepers robots must understand the social aspect of policing. They can't just know they law, they must learn to interact with different types of people in different situations.
Are there rules of engagement with robots: Dr. Howard emphasized that there's been debates recently about if robots should be used in war or not. Robots can't feel the remorse that goes along with being a human in combat. It also distances people from war if robots are used. Robots shouldn't be allowed to control themselves and should obey the orders we give them.
How should robots interact with humans: They have to be subservient to humans first because robots aren't capable of understanding how precious life is. They should attempt to mimic human behavior not act as a replacement.
Should there be a limit on intelligence of robots: There shouldn't be a limit but there needs to be laws of engagement to prevent unwanted results when they're integrated into society.
What part of your career makes her proudest: Dr. Howard had several things she's proud of that wouldn't been considered conventional achievements. First she's proud of being able to truly understand the value of intelligence, how special it is and why it isn't to be taken for granted. Second she's proud of the confidence she's achieved in her work and as a person. She's proud of the fact that she can speak out for or against an idea without having to second guess herself. Lastly she's proud of the fact that she's achieved more than most people in a field where there aren't many women or minorities. Overcoming those three obstacles are what make Dr. Howard most proud of her career.
