Not with a Bug, But with a Sticker

Chapter 1Do You Want to Be Part of the Future?

“Uniquely Seattle” could be the byline of the city's Magnuson Park with its supreme views of Mount Rainier alongside a potpourri of Pacific Northwest provisions. An off-leash dog park, a knoll dedicated for kite flying, art deco sculptures, a climbing wall—all dot the acres of green lands that jut into Lake Washington.

But Ivan Evtimov was not there to enjoy any of these. Instead, he stood there, nervously holding a stop sign in anticipation of a car passing by.

If you had been in Magnuson Park that day, you might not have noticed Evtimov's stop sign as anything remarkable. It was a standard red octagon with the word “STOP” in white lettering. Adhered to the sign were two odd stickers. Some sort of graffiti, perhaps? Certainly, nothing out of the ordinary.

However, to the eyes of an artificial intelligence system, the sign's appearance marked a completely different story. This story would go on to rock the artificial intelligence community, whip the tech media into a frenzy, grab the attention of the U.S. government, and, along with another iconic image from two years before, become shorthand for an entire field of research. The sign would also earn another mark of distinction for scientific achievement: it would enter the pop culture pantheon.

This story and the problem it exposed can potentially revise our thinking on modern technology. If left unaddressed, it could also call into question current computer science advancements ...