Hi-Tech Crime CRIM30375

How Philip K. Dick redefined what it means to be (in)human I think, therefore I am human? Phonlamai Photo/Shutterstock James Burton , Goldsmiths, University of London Fifty years ago, Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? questioned what it means to be human in ways that have an immense lasting influence. The action of the novel – and the Blade Runner films based on it – largely revolves around the central tension and struggle between biological humans and artificially constructed androids. Arguably, however, the story’s greatest continuing relevance is in the way it challenges a particular image of the human that has come to dominate in modern Western culture. This image portrays certain qualities – whiteness, masculinity, heterosexuality, rationalism, professional success and physical prowess – as the ideal symbols of humanity’s success. The novel revolves around the efforts of bounty hunter Rick Deckard, in h...

Robot cities: three urban prototypes for future living 3000ad/Shutterstock.com Mateja Kovacic , University of Sheffield Before I started working on real-world robots, I wrote about their fictional and historical ancestors. This isn’t so far removed from what I do now. In factories, labs, and of course science fiction, imaginary robots keep fuelling our imagination about artificial humans and autonomous machines. Real-world robots remain surprisingly dysfunctional, although they are steadily infiltrating urban areas across the globe. This fourth industrial revolution driven by robots is shaping urban spaces and urban life in response to opportunities and challenges in economic, social, political and healthcare domains. Our cities are becoming too big for humans to manage. Good city governance enables and maintains smooth flow of things, data, and people. These include public services, traffic, and delivery services. Long queues in hos...

Categorising child abusers as online or offline doesn't help protect victims PORTRAIT IMAGES ASIA BY NONWARIT/Shutterstock Laura Broome , Swansea University ; Cristina Izura , Swansea University , and Nuria Lorenzo-Dus , Swansea University How an online child abuser is classified by researchers is primarily based on the intended location of sexual climax – online or offline. Offenders driven by fantasy intentions are seen as only having contact with children in the virtual world – using the internet for sexual activities such as exhibitionism, voyeurism, masturbation and cybersex. Contact-driven offenders meanwhile are seen to use the internet as a medium to engage minors in physical sex. However, our research into these two types of internet-initiated child sexual offenders has found these definitions are problematic. And that our lack of understanding about the behaviour of adults who abuse minors via the internet means that the ...

AI like HAL 9000 can never exist because real emotions aren't programmable Guillaume Thierry , Bangor University HAL 9000 is one of the best-known articifical intelligence characters of modern film. This superior form of sentient computer embarks on a mission to Jupiter, along with a human crew, in Stanley Kubrick’s iconic film 2001: A Space Odyssey, which is currently celebrating its 50th year since release. HAL is capable of speech production and comprehension, facial recognition, lip reading – and playing chess . Its superior computational ability is boosted by uniquely human traits, too. It can interpret emotional behaviour, reason and appreciate art. By giving HAL emotions, writer Arthur C. Clarke and filmmaker Stanley Kubrick made it one of the most human-like fictional technologies ever created. In one of the most beautiful scenes in sci-fi history, it says it is “afraid” when mission commander Dr David Bowman starts disconnecting its memory modules foll...