[jblock]

HN gets a lot of post about acquisitions and whatnot, but I feel this is probably one of the most important in recent memory.

The implications of taking this talent into consumer robotics (or augmenting their presence in the defense community) will ripple through the tech world.

[mortenjorck]

It's amazing because it's so clearly, wildly complementary: Google becomes the prefrontal cortex to Boston Dynamics' robotic central nervous systems. I can't see this pairing as anything other than the beginning of the world of sci-fi robotics.

[raldi]

> Google becomes the prefrontal cortex to Boston Dynamics' robotic central nervous systems.

Or to put it another way, Google's computers plan the strategy, and Boston Dynamics' controllers take care of the tactics.

[salient]

Which often doesn't end well.

[jodrellblank]

It "often doesn't end well"? It hasn't ever happened!

Stories about it often end in a way that makes for a good story. That's not saying the same thing at all.

[noblethrasher]

Well, he did say "sci-fi" robots.

[hershel]

There's a basis in reality for those. many powerful technologies have been used in the fast for "evil".

[sophacles]

I would go further and say "all" rather than "many". However there is the real question of: on the balance - does this help more than it hurts.

Additionally just the very act of being concerned about misuses helps mitigate them.

[n09n]

And many have been used for good. The technology itself doesn't have any will of it's own. People just use it. And people do both good and evil.

[Raphael]

Until it does have a will of its own.

[DanAndersen]

Without making judgments about the motivations behind this statement, I just wanted to link to the LessWrong article on The Logical Fallacy of Generalization from Fictional Evidence: http://lesswrong.com/lw/k9/the_logical_fallacy_of_generaliza...

[eli_gottlieb]

Actually, I think in this case, the LessWrong types must have some rather strong words for Google. Starting with "PAPERCLIP" and "DON'T".

[aaronsnoswell]

Couldn't agree more - I would rate this as the second most important news item this year, after the NSA revelations.

[rch]

Yup. Absolutely agreed. I really didn't expect this.