March 20th, 2048 by Amy Baker, Science Correspondent

Wetware, Artificial Intelligence / Robotics / Brain research

Wetware

After decades of research & development, the Adam Project has announced the first production-ready version of their Wetware robotic mind, the "Atman Core". The core was first unveiled at Beijing Robotics Week 3 years ago, where demonstrators put it through 3 'undefined' tasks to show it's ability to do "creative analysis" of problems.

In interviews following the announcement, Adam Project's CTO Philippe Forest spoke of the cost of these early models: "Of course these first iterations will be astronomically expensive - you don't just manufacture brains for cheap - [the Wetware] will get easier over time, but what we're making is something that can be made, then tuned up over time. Like a real brain, it just needs some helpful biology to keep it going, that's it"

The CEO, Marcus Jaeger, said of the concept as: "Wetware will usher in the science-fiction we've been dreaming of for generations - robots that can think for themselves."

Asked to describe what the Wetware is, Forest explained: "Think of the Wetware like a nebula of computers surrounded by an electric 'goop' gel to protect & connect it all - neurons and brain tissue. The gel allows any of these computers to interface with any other one, resulting in this super-efficient network. So it's more than just the CPUs, the gel, the connective tissue. Wetware is the entire brain".

Jaeger went on to clarify: "It's basically the smallest and most efficient server hub we'll ever make as a species"

Background

Across the Adam Project's lifespan the company has experienced controversy over their concept. Critics describe the goal as "making workers without the ability to say no", referencing an interview from 2041 where CTO Forest was describing "limiting emotion to match performance demands". At the time, Forest did not respond to these comments.

Following his science-fiction comments, Jaeger was asked about whether "Wetware will adhere to the 3 Laws" (referencing the laws written by Isaac Asimov in his various stories), to which he responded "We've implemented our own ruleset which we're confident in. The [3 Laws] are a good basis, but we found that they didn't reflect the wide range of uses this technology can be used for. We have acknowledged them - we make sure every office has a plaque with those written down - so it's in the back of our minds whilst we iterate."

Activists countered this comment saying: "[Adam Project] is and has always been funded by big industry and the military - they don't want to implement the laws because that'll go smash against the hand that feeds them." When asked about these contracts, multiple spokespersons for the Adam Project have stated: "The Project relies on contracts as part of our funding and research initiatives. Due to their nature, the Project will not comment any further on their terms or goals as part of our partnership with the signees."

What's next

The company has posted that they're expecting a promising financial year, saying: "Wetware solves the single most pressing problem in post-info robotics: how to creatively analyse & solve problems. With this we're seeing a great deal of interest across sectors, and are looking forward to many great partnerships in the future."

Feng, Nuo & Qiao Robotics (widely seen as the main competitor to Adam Project & other robotics-related firms) released a statement following the announcement: "We welcome the Wetware concept, and see it as a promising step in the road to future innovations across the industry."