Emotional robots: to what end?

[Cousin Hepcat]

Emotional robots: Any ideas for good reasons to do so?

Making robots that interact with people emotionally is the goal of a European project led by British scientists:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6389105.stm

- C H

 

[Spitfire]

Great! Then we could finally get somebody who understood the female mindset.

Most men lack that special mindreading gene, which is so important to be around women.
They don't do the dishes, empty the washingmashine or do the shopping as soon as she has thought about, how nice it would be, if he did it....

(Sorry, sorry...It just came out.....did I say that????)

 

[K.D. Lightner]

I guess they could be absoluely objective, something one would want in a good listener. And they would give advise in the same way.

Of course, they would have to be programmed and, depending on who did the programming and what their purpose or mindset is, it could be pretty ... interesting.

Just as long as I didn't get HAL.

karol

 

[Baron Kurtz]

My God, just to prove we can do it.

bk

 

[LizzieMaine]

Not for me, thanks. I go thru torment enough when I hurt a fellow human's feelings without having to worry about offending some piece of technology.

 

[scotrace]

Indeed.

Just that much closer to The Singularity.



At which point, of course, the machines with correctly note that homo sapiens has been incorrectly classified. Noting the effect humans have on the planet, we will be lumped with parasites. Hopefully, they won't call in the exterminator!

 

[Elaina]

Bad idea, because then do they have rights?

Go read "Do androids dream of electric sheep?" or rent the more common form of it "Blade runner" for why this is a bad, bad, bad idea.

 

[CharlieH.]

Emotional robots: Any ideas for good reasons to do so?

- Bragging rights
- Bar bet
- Lack of social life
- Extremely desperate for a mate
- Had a few extra pieces laying about
- Built to see if a fairy came along and turned it into a real boy
- Extra-realistic movie prop
- Likes pets, but not cleaning after them
- Needs a wisecracking butler
- Wants to create an all-robot shakespearean theatre

 

[scotrace]

The theory goes

That a machine would be free of human biological and evolutionary imperatives. Like the desire to kill.

Self-aware machinery that turns on humans makes for great movies, but how real is that danger?

 

[Elaina]

I had/have way too much time on my hands. My dad and I just got into this argument last week (he of the 55+ years of sci fi reading.)

Short answer is: no one knows really.

But look at humanity: how long before we (on a whole, not any one individual) are abusing them and making them utterly subservient with no rights, no regulations, and no change of a betterment...all ideals that come from an emotional response.

If the were self aware, and emotional, would they desire freedom? A life free from pain? Basic rights? Then would they want to have these rights established? If so, then yes, I can see them turning on us, because I can't see humanity giving them anything.

If they're self aware, being used as nannies, and are taking care of our children, would they have the desire to want them in the event the parents died? If so, what rights do they have from not bing hurt? Do they have the right to make a wage? Are they after all, just machines and emotional response or not, used for our benefit? (Again, I can see them turning on us for those reasons too.)

If they are also sef aware, and self sufficient and are creating robots themselves, who's to say they code in the laws of robotics? Why can't they build assassin machines to get to their goals?

(I am assuming that their emotional response is based off of ours, and that self awareness is my understanding of it. I may be wrong.)

 

[scotrace]

That is the point: They would not have goals, desires, loves, hates, needs (beyond an energy source), a want of betterment, etc. Self awareness is simply that - an awareness of your own existence; that you are.
Our emotions, needs, desires, hates, loves, all flow from the baggage gained over evolutionary time. A self-aware machine would be free of all that. It would think in new ways and see entirely new possibilities to which we are blind. I think the website above gives the example of giving such a machine the problem of curing cancer. Harnessing the power of the internet to retrieve (and immediately grasp) information, while simultaneously weeding out what is wrong, a solution would likely come within days, if not hours.
It is hard for us to imagine an intelligence that is separate from human motivations.
At any rate, we are hurdling down that path at a fast clip. Self-aware AI is almost a reality.

 

[reetpleat]

I think the most valuable result will be a better understanding of the human mind for our own use. In order to make a machine to do it, you have to know how it works. It would be a great way to expriment and try ideas out.

 

[beaucaillou]

More basic versions of these are already being fairly widely used in Japan. There are a number of reasons for robot companions. One of the first prototypes (without robotics but with the "realism") would probably be considered the Real Doll, which is used for *cough* companionship *cough*. The next generation or robotic versions of these are already in the manufacturing stage.

The idea behind therapist, nurse, and companionship robots are largely because there simply aren't enough care givers for aging populations. In light of that, robots will become a necessity. Also, the results of these robots are overwhelmingly positive. And also, yes, I believe they are manufactured with the "because we can" attitude. Now, why exactly there are ballroom dance robots, I'm not entirely sure. Also, Sommelier (my profession) robots have not yet been a success. Seems that every time they smell-encounter people, their assessment is "pork." It's true.

Nurse robots:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/02/07/waka07.xml

Therapist robots:
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2004-04-11-robot-helpers_x.htm

Dance training robots:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/06/07/robots.ballroom/

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Though i agree that the goals are worthy, i seriously worry about the realism of the goals - at least in the short term. Despite significant advances, we have precious little understanding of even the encoding of information in the central nervous system, let alone the nature of existence and awareness of such.

The stunning biological complexity involved with making the statement "I am" - just the compex neural circuits controlling the physical saying of the words, taking no account of the metaphysics of the phrase - lead me to serious skepticism of the realism of this project.

But, kudos to them for trying . . .

bk

 

[Fletch]

Not for me, thanks. I go thru torment enough when I hurt a fellow human's feelings without having to worry about offending some piece of technology.

Yes, most human beings can't shoot heat rays out of their eyes or explode in a fireball o' death when you tick them off.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Reminds me of an episode of The Twilight Zone.

The one where this guy is falsely imprisoned on an asteroid,(Okay, it was done in the sixties) all alone.
They finally bring him a female companion robot and the poor guy ends up falling in love with it. Sad and ironic story really,as any Rod Serling story was.
If they are going to build droids, they should not be any more human looking than 3CPO.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

The one where this guy is falsely imprisoned on an asteroid,(Okay, it was done in the sixties) all alone.
They finally bring him a female companion robot and the poor guy ends up falling in love with it. Sad and ironic story really,as any Rod Serling story was.
If they are going to build droids, they should not be any more human looking than 3CPO.

Yes! I was about to write the same TZ episode.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Yes! I was about to write the same TZ episode.

Great minds think alike? lol
Then there was that episode where the family loses the mother, and the father and his 3 kids go to this shop and pick out the surrogate grandma. Remember that one?

 

[PrettySquareGal]

Great minds think alike? lol
Then there was that episode where the family loses the mother, and the father and his 3 kids go to this shop and pick out the surrogate grandma. Remember that one?

Of course! I thought of that one after I left my comment.

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

"Life? Don't talk to me about life."

- Marvin the Android.