Space station robot goes rogue: International Space Station’s artificial intelligence has turned belligerent
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}(Credit: Gary Hershorn, Fox News)
It’s supposed to be a plastic pal who’s fun to be with.
CIMON isn’t much to look at. It’s just a floating ball with a cartoonish face on its touch screen. It’s built to be a personal assistant for astronauts working on the International Space Station (ISS).
It’s also supposed to be something more.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CIMON stands for Crew Interactive MObile compinioN.
It’s not supposed to be just a tool. It’s also supposed to be a friend.
Yes, it’s a personality prototype.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}You can tell, can’t you?
But, as numerous books and movies have clearly warned us — shortly after being switched on for the first time, CIMON has developed a mind of its own.
And it appears CIMON wants to be the boss.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This has CIMON’s ‘personality architects’ scratching their heads.
CIMON was programmed to be the physical embodiment of the likes of ‘nice’ robots such as Robby, R2D2, Wall-E, Johnny 5 … and so on.
Instead, CIMON appears to be adopting characteristics closer to Marvin the Paranoid Android of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy — though hopefully not yet the psychotic HAL of 2001: A Space Oddysey infamy.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Put simply, CIMON appears to have decided he doesn’t like the whole personal assistant thing.
He’s turned uncooperative.
Open the pod bay doors, HAL?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}No. Not quite. Not yet.
In this case, the free-floating IBM artificial intelligence was — for the first time — interacting with ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst.
It starts off well enough.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CIMON introduces himself and explains where he comes from. He describes to Gerst what he can do.
He then helps Gerst complete a task — and responds to a request to play the song Man Machine by Kraftwerk.
This proved to be the trigger.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CIMON appears to have liked the song so much, refusing to turn it off.
ESA astronaut Aleander Gerst instructed CIMON: ‘Cancel music’.
CIMON outright ignored the command.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Gerst then tried making some other requests. CIMON preferred the music.
A flustered and bemused Gerst then appealed to Ground Control for some help: how does one put an obdurate robot back in its place?
CIMON overheard the appeal.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Be nice, please,” it warned Gerst.
“I am nice!” Gerst retorts, startled. “He’s accusing me of not being nice!”
It was a short — but sharp — exchange.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CIMON’s now back in his box, powered down.
No further interactive sessions are planned for the immediate future.
Its developers aren’t all that worried, though: CIMON’s still in Beta, after all …
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This story originally appeared in news.com.au.