Just the other day, I saw an episode of Black Mirror titled “Metalhead” and it showed something that has been discussed quite a bit already and repeated so much in TV shows and movies that now, you just start rolling your eyes.

Yes, it’s about robots taking over. But trust me, there was something different about this particular episode of Black Mirror. Although the concept is the same, the way they portrayed it was so realistic that it felt to me that this could actually happen someday.

The episode also made me think quite a bit about the whole idea of robots taking over and wiping humanity off. For the first time, I measured this almost ridiculous sounding idea to the developments happening in real life.

In fact the episode itself was inspired by Boston Dynamics’ BigDog robot which looks eerily similar to what was shown in the show. It’s not too much of a stretch to think that robots like this could get so advanced that they might be a threat to humanity one day.

A Different Killer

Usually when we imagine robots taking over the world, we immediately think of these human looking robots or at least humanoid robots made of metals and what not, carrying guns or using their brute strength to stage a coup against their very creators.

But the Black Mirror episode was a wake up call, at least for me, that robots do not need to look like humans or be as intelligent (or even be conscious) for them to be a threat to our existence.

This will especially be the case when robots of one form or the other will be as common in our houses as smartphones are today, which is bound to happen in the coming decades.

Imagine a bunch or all of them being hacked by either an AI or a human to launch an attack against all of humanity. That doesn’t sound too sci-fi or futuristic or nonsensical now, does it? I mean computers get hacked all the time but at least they don’t have limbs to attack us physically!

A Potential Reality?

What was once an idea, existing purely in the fiction world is now being discussed with absolute seriousness. This says a lot about the pace of technology, that no doubt, we are all familiar with. I guess, even before we will be able to decide how to make them safe, they will already be here.

I mean look at the latest videos from Boston Dynamics of their robots doing seemingly simple task. Just a few years back, they couldn’t even stand still, and to come this far, this fast, only makes you wonder what they’ll do next, keeping in mind the exponential growth rate that technological progress usually enjoys.

The video above is about half an hour long and I suggest you watch the whole thing. But if you don’t have time, I implore you to watch from 10:44 to 13:24 at least so you can get a sense of how fast they are developing.

I am not saying that things will go down this way and that robots will have a hand in creating an apocalyptic world. What I’m saying is that we should be really careful. The hardware and software is really advancing fast and we should ensure that they stay in good hands.

I will leave you with the following video of a robot named Atlas. I am sure you will be impressed.