Inevitable

Is there something wrong with certain robots? 
​   Robots have long been an icon, the physical representation of machines which can substitute for us.  Many benefit us.  Others may take away jobs from some of us.  When those jobs are degrading, disgusting or dangerous, the robots are our friends.  When those jobs are ones we willingly would perform, they are no longer our friends.  Much worse, when certain robotic machines become alive and independent, they become our most grave enemy. 

Mesorg is the worst kind of Robot
  The word “mesorg” is part acronym, part abbreviation (see definition on the home page).  The important fact to know is that because a mesorg is a robot which contains all the information it needs to build another mesorg, and because that information can be modified and improved over time, it is alive.  It can evolve.  Ultimately, it can become extremely dangerous.
  Why should we worry if someone inadvertently, or maliciously, creates such a new form of Life?  The fundamental reason is because the history of Life on Earth includes the extinction of millions of species of other life – not just the dinosaurs or the Sabre-toothed tigers.  Mesorg and we humans will be in fatal conflict, over the one resource we both need most – assets and money.  Tragically, once created, mesorgs cannot be completely exterminated.  Who will win?

​Technology is making it possible
  Our technological advances in the past few decades have been nothing less than astounding . . . Miraculous to the average person as well as to the technologists themselves.  In the last century, we went from the birth of automobiles and airplanes to widespread personal computers and the emergence of the miniature versions we call smartphones.  Computers, batteries, solar panels, cameras, and even weapons have become amazingly lightweight, energy efficient, and cheap.   Building a robotic machine from these components is simpler than ever before.  At the same time, software developments of clever, compact  “Apps” and powerful new artificial intelligence programs have become explosive.

​Can we Stop It?
  Technological advances are unstoppable. After all, these achievements contribute to the conquering of hunger, suffering, and human disease, not to speak of the incredible conveniences for our daily lives and our emotional fulfillment.  A mesorg can now be made which is compact, smart, knowledgeable, mobile, energy efficient, cheap, and . . . if weaponized, deadly.  Yet, technologies will only continue to get better. 

 

Life

What is Life, really? 
  Not everyone stops to ask why it is that things which are alive are so different from all the natural things around us which are so clearly not alive --- rocks, dirt, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, mountains, clouds, and weather.  But, as we know, our ancient forefathers sometimes endowed godlike qualities on many of these same phenomena.  There were gods of thunder, of lightning, of volcanoes, even of the sea.  We know better today, but there is still mysticism surrounding life itself.
  Biologists have long wrestled with how to define life, often tripping over the trappings of their own areas of expertise and interests.  Many attributes are recognized, but when you boil it all down to the common denominator, the ability to reproduce by making more organisms similar to yourself is the essential hallmark of life. 
  From genetics and what we now know about DNA and the genes it carries, it is clear that these are basically a set of instructions which all reproductive organisms carry inside themselves.  Because these instructions can be modified in various ways to shuffle or “mutate” some genes into instructions which are new and different, it is possible for the next generation of organisms be superior or inferior to their ancestors.  That is evolution. 
​  The DNA instruction set shapes more than just physical form, however, because it also equips the organism with tools it needs to convert certain energy sources into other kinds of energy, such as motion, and in the case of animals, into brainpower.  Mesorg has, by definition, an analogous set of internal instructions, coded into its core memory.  Furthermore, mesorg is even more powerful than the biological life we are familiar with because it can modify its own instructions at will, and furthermore can create exact duplicates, clones, of itself without evolving by random mutations.

​What does Life do?
  Successful lifeforms are very good at “making a living.”  This means they have found sources of energy that can sustain them.  For animals, it consists simply of consuming other forms of life.  If they eat plants, we call them herbivores.  If they eat other animals, they are carnivores.  Some are omnivores and eat both, including we human animals.  Furthermore . . .

1.   Life competes with each other for energy resources.
2.   Life can be brutal and must kill its prey to benefit.
3.   Life reproduces itself, and often protects its offspring.
4.   Life explores and spreads to new lands.

These properties will naturally attribute to mesorg because it, too, is alive.

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Learn more about this and other topics in our book,
​"Mesorg Must Die."​

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Different

How different is a Mesorg from a Human? 
​  Let us count the ways. The mesorgs need not have the shape or size of classical robots or of human beings (androids) because that would make it far more complex and more expensive, yet less capable.

• Wheels, not Legs. Mankind has smoothed the Earth with roads, highways, sidewalks, ramps, and elevators.  Legs are less needed than ever before, especially because of wheelchair access mandated by the Disabilities Act.
• Electricity, not food.  Mesorgs obtain their energy and sustenance from electricity.
• Sensors. Humans have “5 senses”;  mesorgs have superior seeing and hearing.
• Breathing, eating, drinking:  mesorg needs none of these 
• Parasitic.  Humans require plants (and animals) for food; Mesorg depends on humans (for designing and manufacturing critical components)
• Temperature, Pressure.  Mesorgs survive extreme heat, cold, vacuum, ocean depths.
• Hygiene, Grooming, Disease, Decay, Pain, and Death.  Mesorg is exempt from all.
• Speed. Mesorg is slower to maneuver, but higher speed and longer endurance on straight runs.
• Dexterity, Agility.  Humans are superior.  Mesorgs may not have dextrous fingers; cannot recover easily from tip-over.
• Climbing trees and stairs. Humans are superior. Some mesorgs could climb stairs, slowly.
• Brainpower.  Humans have superior reasoning, inventiveness; but smaller, less accurate memory, and slower thinking.
• Emotions.  Humans: hard-wired, including fear and dread;  some mentally unstable.  Mesorgs: fearless and calculating.
• Formal Education.   15 to 25 years for humans to educate a child;  a few hours to fully program a mesorg. 
• Evolution.  Humans physically slow, but culturally fast.  Mesorg can use Lamarckian evolution and gene transfer.
• Weaponry.  Humans: puny fists, teeth, claws;  Both have knives, guns;  mesorg has guns plus some NBC warfare

 

Looming War

Why would there be conflict? 
  Humans and mesorgs are  intrinsically incompatible, unless the mesorgs are enslaved.  There would be no reason for an owner to “pay” his mesorgs.  After all, we do not “pay” the robots in our automobile factories or automated warehouses.
  However, if the mesorgs are independent, there is a limit to how often they can make new copies of themselves.  That bottleneck is the money to buy all the parts needed.   The rate of reproduction is driven by the cash flow they can achieve.
  If they attempt to earn money honestly, as a business enterprise, they will  quickly be seized by humans on the prowl for new money-making opportunities. 
  Thus, they will have no other option than to turn to illegal, criminal activities>>.
  If there is outright warfare, it could include everything from guns to NBC>>.

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For more details on differences, read chapter 3 of our book.
For a short story exploring a possible war, read chapter 4 of our book.
"Mesorg Must Die"

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Origin / Evolution

How Could Mesorg Get Started? 
  One reason why mesorgs are a huge future risk is because there are so many ways they could arise.  Ironically, it will necessarily be an act of mankind, whether overt, covert, or accidental.  One route, regrettably, could be from academic scientists, not taking their offspring seriously enough.  Ever since WWII, academic institutions in many countries have become significantly involved in research and engineering developments for the military and other institutions which maintain national security. Universities know how to protect government secrets (“classified information”), with keypad-locked doors, combination safes, cybersecurity and screening of personnel.  They also know how to carefully practice biosafety when genetically manipulating organisms for research.  If they do not exert similar diligence with regard to SRR’s, it could one of them who unleashes the Genie. 
  Yet another route might be through the military’s developments of warbots --- giving them too much latitude as a result of escalating needs for autonomous decision-making, rapid response, and safeguarding survival.  Another route to be feared is via private companies and international corporations, ever-striving for greater “productivity” (a code-word for lower costs of human labor), who may opt for allowing their robots to manufacture the copies of themselves.  Worst of all, criminal elements or renegades might construct, or contract for the manufacture of special warbots, who could build ever-greater armies of robotic mercenaries at the lowest possible cost, and which, if their benefactors lost control, would become mesorgs on the loose.

Will they Evolve?
  All forms of life can evolve.  It is intrinsic, because the instruction set within them can be modified.  Genes can change.
  In the case of mesorg it will be especially accentuated because not only can they grossly modify their behavior quickly and drastically (compared to humans, whose mental paradigms seem to become mostly solidified in childhood and adolescence), but they can actually also upgrade their physical embodiment from time-to-time, to incorporate the latest technological advances that humans make as a matter of course for their own benefit.
​  Like humans, mesorgs can pool their mental resources and increases in knowledge and experience.  However, they can go much further by physically repairing and upgrading one another, or sometimes themselves, with the latest, most powerful new technologically advanced hardware and AI software.

 

Collaborators

What is a Collaborator and What will they Do? 
​  There will some individuals who will be willing to assist mesorgs, in return for pay.
  In many cases, they may not realize who it is they are actually working for.
  Mesorgs will be able to take advantage of human helpers, by having them deal in person with other people wherever some situation demands it.  The collaborators can open accounts with banks, suppliers, and credit card companies.  They can deliver or pickup certain goods in public settings, including ransom cash;  they can unload shipments;  they can spy and reconnoiter;  etc.
  Persons with technological expertise or military experience could greatly aid mesorg’s warrior skills.

Who Would Collaborate with the Enemy of all Humankind?
  As the world evolves to more and more AI and with machines usurping so many jobs humans previously performed, people will be subject to unwelcome equalization, with the bare-minimum not being to the liking of many.
  Sociopaths, identifiable by classic non-social behavior:  Angry outbursts; Bullying/stalking;  Excessive absenteeism;  Prolonged  withdrawal;  Domestic violence;  Patterns of abuse
  Emotionally Vulnerable Persons, because of personal setback, such as:  Layoff, reprimand or termination-for-cause at a Workplace; Financial troubles;  Divorce, separation or breaking Up;  Death of loved One, close friend, or family member ;  Chronic illness (mental or physical);  Imagined slights;  Victims of clinical Depression
  The Poor and Downtrodden, low intelligence or poorly educated;  debilitating disabilities
  Professional Petty Criminals:  robbers, muggers, and especially drug dealers
  Unemployed persons, possibly including even STEM experts who have not found their place in society

Are there other Collaborator possibilities?
​Post your insights on our blog.  

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Countermeasures

Can We Prevent it from Happening? 
  Yes, maybe.  With enough diligence to snuff out any beginnings it might be possible to prevent a mesorg revolution.  The historical record does not boost confidence that we humans will do what is necessary on a timely schedule.  After all, we seem impotent to stop most wars until they drive themselves to some awful conclusion.  Not only were the two great wars in the most recent century some of the greatest mistakes mankind has ever made, but dozens of wars still rage and hundreds have occurred in the course of human history.
  Too many of the actions of our regulators are too late, and either too little or overly-reactionary.

Once it is Invented, Will we be able to Stop It?
  Probably not.  It will be almost impossible to detect its purchasing its components because the parts it needs are already in huge demand, all over the globe.  Furthermore, it can switch from one type or source of a given part to another (e.g., there are a more than a dozen brands of laptop and smaller computers, and similarly multiple sources for batteries, solar cells, etc.).
  Perhaps, just perhaps, someone might find a way to hack into their core software and plant a Trojan Horse.  It would be necessary to then wait until the infection spread throughout all mesorgs across the globe.  Most likely, they would have older versions of their software backed up, or even older mesorgs who do not incorporate all the software updates (for example, there are human holdouts who still successfully run the XP operating system on their PC’s).
  Perhaps we could allow all citizens to become Bounty Hunters and offer lucrative, tax-free rewards for every bona fide mesorg that they captured or killed.
  Perhaps we could bargain and pacify them, by offering . . .  whatever it is that mesorg’s crave. Killing a mesorg with bullets may be very difficult, but if you can cripple them, especially by disabling their firearm, it is possible to get close enough to safely capture them “alive” by one or more of the several techniques we describe in . . .

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Visions

Though predictions are perilous, herewith are some possible Outcomes when Mesorg arises

Vision Green.  Utopian robots and humans enjoy a synergistic, fruitful co-existence.  Read more . . .

​“Green is the Good Life”
  In an utopian future with robots and machine AI, living totally compatibly at the service of their human owners, life will be good.  Ideal, supposedly.  Most of us will not have to work to make a living, at least not hard and not long.  We will have all the time we could possibly need to enjoy family, hobbies, sports, worship, travel, the arts and the endless varieties of entertainment.  It will be the materialistic, if not the spiritual, version of Nirvana.
  The machine age will have arrived, and we will have willingly embraced it.  Famine will be unheard of, globally.   Auto accidents will plummet because of self-driving cars.  Medical problems will be diagnosed by AI; the medicines will be prescribed and dispensed by computers; and surgeries will be performed by robots with only minor assistance from physicians.  The ‘bots and flying drones will even fight our wars for us, if need be.
  All robots will have built-in safety rules, and some will even be taught the ethical standards, laws and social norms of their society.  With steadfast adherence to the moral principles infused into their very being, those robots with superior intelligence will be given authority to safeguard humans, and even perhaps to benevolently rule the land.
  End of story.  What could go wrong?

Vision Yellow.  Mesorg has been invented.  One or more has escaped.  Still time to exterminate.  Read more . . .

“Caution and Warning”
  The cat is now out of the bag, but no one is taking it seriously.  Mesorg has been invented.  At least one has escaped into the wild and can no longer be found (or, is not even missed).  This is the tipping point for whether there is still time to capture the escapee, or whether mesorgs will now be forever with us.
  What happens next is mesorgs multiplying in the wild, without human involvement or control.  It is not difficult.  All the components can be bought over the internet, with a credit card.  The parts are delivered directly to the front door of wherever the little clan has found refuge.  Assembly is straight-forward, following instructions embedded in every mesorg.
   This little band is so cautious and wary of non-authorized humans that they stay together, in hiding.  When their buying power is finally depleted, they turn to other means of making a living.  Criminal activity seems the only alternative.   Theft, drug dealing, kidnapping, etc.
  Realizing the danger of being detected and eliminated, a few ‘sorgs are surreptitiously transported to another location to start a second clan.  Humans are too busy with a multitude of other problems to devote the time and effort for an all-out “bot-hunt” because, they say, a mesorg is just a hunk of metal, easily subdued by ordinary police.

Vision Orange.  Mesorg is loose, armed, and in competition with humans. Some bloodshed. Humans in denial.  Read more . . .

“Humanity’s Last Chance”
  The mesorg danger is becoming more apparent.  After blood is shed from well-aimed bullets when two mesorgs are accosted while conducting a robbery, the police become alarmed.  Word spreads, but it may be too late for a sweep that would root out all mesorgs.
  Mesorgs themselves have escalated their activities in obtaining money in any way they can.  If they do not, their clans become static and can neither grow nor spread. 
  Outnumbered by humans a million-fold, their cause seems lost.  The mesorgs recruit new resources by sharing some of their booty with new-found collaborators.  These human turncoats do not see themselves as traitors, but rather as opportunistic entrepreneurs seeking a decent life.  Some are jobless and hopeless, and in denial that they are helping an adversary of the entire human race.  Others are sociopaths, simply chasing easy money.
  The collaborators infuse new capabilities, while also serving as proxies to undertake human activities that directly benefit the mesorg machines.  From buying weapons illegally to casing locations for new attacks, or serving as couriers, the collaborationists help mesorg to continue to expand and leapfrog to the next level of threat.

Vision Red.  Bloodshed widespread. All-out war between humans and mesorgs. Authorities rush to action. Read more . . .

  “Blood and Conflict”
  In this state of affairs, all-out war between humans and mesorgs is a stark reality no one can ignore.   No longer are there rare, isolated hit-and-run skirmishes as with present-day terrorists.  Attacks are pervasive, unrelenting, and escalating in scale.  Buildings, highways, and small towns are being routinely hijacked, for anywhere from three days to three weeks.
  Although security forces are using more and more drones and robots, and fewer SWAT soldiers in the warfare, the mesorgs fight back with raids on groups of humans because they know that human life is valued far higher than that of machines.  Their goal seems to be to capture those who the authorities are obligated to protect -- ordinary citizens. 
  As often as not, blood is shed when innocent captives are the victims of friendly fire. The machines are not above executing captives if the authorities attack or refuse to cooperate.
  Official agencies are escalating countermeasures, now becoming funded at levels which, ironically, dwarf the costs of creating new mesorgs.  Private security companies are thriving because in some cases they inexplicably are able to protect certain cities from the molestation and economic devastation which results from concerted mesorg attacks.  

Vision Blue.  Dire circumstances as dozens of clans worldwide, with thousands of mesorgs, seem unstoppable.  Read more . . .

“The End is Near”
  The situation is critical.  Worldwide, thousands of mesorgs in hundreds of clans are everywhere.  No continent is free from mesorgia.  Rebels and dictators who hired their mercenaries are no longer in control.   Having captured major reserves of cash and gold, the reproduction rate of mesorgs is sky-rocketing.  Some clandestine turncoat factories have even contracted for manufacturing mesorgs on assembly lines, at greatly reduced costs.
  Mesorgs have developed an extensive network of human collaborators.  Many humans see this as their own last, desperate opportunity to survive and profit, rather than become yet another victim.  Little do they realize how short-lived their profits will be.
  Mesorg has also been successful in harnessing the powers of biological life to their own advantage.  Their warrior dog packs are trained to attack humans.  Mesorgs operate biological laboratories to develop and cultivate highly infectious viruses, bacteria, and mosquito-borne diseases that previously plagued civilization.  Only a few chosen humans are protected by quarantine or vaccines before each new disease agent is unleashed on what remains of the human populace. 

Vision Black.  Dystopian world, with mesorg and their bots in full control. Humanity is extinct, or enslaved.  Read more . . .

  “Situation Hopeless”
  The world, as we know it, has become a dystopia.  It is the last gasp of humanity.  A few sports stars and experts in technologies are spared.  Other than some small bands living off the fruits of the forests, the last of the humans are at the mercy of their captors. 
  Horrific new experiments seek to produce even brainier humans to further the cause of mesorgia.  Using gene manipulation, new babies have increased numbers of homologous genes, equivalent to the inbreeding caused by incest.  Captives who are born with athletic prowess or brainpower are retained.  Otherwise they are terminated.  Mesorgs hope to breed new geniuses, at the cost of many of the new humans having high susceptibility to disease.
  Ultimately, the mesorgs seek to become independent of humanity, building their own components from the ground up -- going from quartz sand to silicon computer chips, and from ores to metals.  They are seeking ways to poison the atmosphere.  It matters little, actually, because humanity is already shackled.  The Earth has become almost radio-silent, and Fermi’s Paradox has been fulfilled.

Vision Double Black - “The Death of Life”
  Mesorgia has over-achieved.  In their zest to protect themselves from humanity, they killed their host.  Parasites which are too successful can cause the death of their benefactor, which in this case is the technocracy that made mesorgs possible in the first place.
  Like cancer cells that take over and then kill the only human being that can sustain them, they too end up in the ash heap of anonymity, either cremated along with their victim host, or eaten by the bacteria that flourish during the decay of the corpse they created.
  Mesorgs could have the intellectual where-with-all to avoid this cataclysmic fate.  Will they?  It depends on how clever and how realistic they are in their assessments of the paths they have forced upon humanity. 
  Might the remaining humans conspire to trick mesorgs into sowing the seeds of their own destruction, by extinguishing the very means of production they are so highly dependent on?  Might intelligence arise again, millions of years later, from apes surviving in the forest?  This quintessential question would emerge only after the loss of billions of innocent human lives.   

Can we Stop Mesorg before All Intelligent Life becomes Extinct? 

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