Collisions between humans and robots, such as in the dark world, could begin in Europe by 2035. This is stated in the report of the European Union Police Agency (Europol), excerpts of which were quoted by the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph.
The publication writes that Europol experts have compiled a report in which they describe a possible society of the future. They believe robots will become “an indispensable part of daily life across Europe”. They estimate that robots will work in a variety of fields, including delivery and cleaning. At the same time, “jobless people” in difficult areas of the city will take to the streets to protest and express their discontent by “fighting robots”.
“In such a tense environment, even small glitches, such as a hospital robot prescribing the wrong medicine, can lead to national scandals, fueling populist calls to ‘put people first,'” the newspaper quoted excerpts from the report.
Europol is also concerned that cybercriminals in such a dystopian landscape will be able to hack robot assistants equipped with artificial intelligence and reprogram them to gather information or commit crimes. According to experts, terrorists can use “pocket” quadcopters with integrated AI to carry out attacks on power and water supply systems in cities. According to Europol, to combat the threat, police will have to equip themselves with “robot freezing guns” and “nano cyber grenades”.
In a comment to the newspaper, Denis Nezgoda, commercial director of the American company Locus Robotics, which produces assistant robots, called the described scenario unrealistic in the next 10 years. According to this expert, “there are not only technical barriers but also legal barriers that prevent the implementation of some of these radical scenarios by 2035”.
In turn, a Europol representative told the publication that the service “cannot predict the future” and that the report was compiled “to predict possible future situations allowing <...> Make more informed decisions today.”
