The New AI Threat: Can Emotionally-Programmed Robots Be Your Customized Best Friend Or Made-To-Order Life Partner?
Can robots change the dynamics of human relationships? Will they affect the way how humans relate to each other? With AI developers now programming empathy and the capacity for emotional expression in these mechanical beings, can they become substitute nannies and teachers for our children? Can they indulge our secret sexual fantasies in a way that our more physically fragile spouses cannot?
These questions have gone beyond the realm of science-fiction and are being discussed by concerned humans who have noticed that these man-made constructs are being designed to mimic their flesh-and-blood owners. Trace Dominguez in Seekers reports that the newer androids that will come down the pipeline can soon discern the feelings of the humans they will be interacting with. They can distinguish emotions like anger, happiness, and sadness. More important, they can respond in the proper emotional way, whether it is to give comfort to a man who just lost his job, or dance around with a little child in her fifth birthday celebration.
One early prototype is Pepper, the social robot created by Japanese telecom conglomerate SoftBank to function as its human master's companion, business partner, and/or close family member. As described by The Hindustan Times report, Pepper looks like a human and can interpret the emotional meaning in its master's facial expression and body language. It can also mimic these feelings to relate with more empathy with the people around her..
Robots in your bedroom
Emotion - or more specifically passion - can become the selling point of more advanced robots like the erotic androids that Japanese AI companies are developing.
The latest version though might come from England, as Dr. David Levy of London forecasts the ultimate fantasy. As quoted by The Daily Mail, Levy says that sex robots will transcend their traditional programming to transform into celebrity lookalikes, with whom their owners can live out their long-hidden desires. These new sex robots can be made to look and act like Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Beyonce, and any other superstar that has occupied the fanboy or fangirl dreams of starstruck customers. Those dreams can now be realized in the privacy of the homes of the owners. The stars in return will be paid licensing fees for the use of their likeness.
Not everyone is enthused about these emotionally wired artificial beings who can take care of a human being's needs in whatever shape or form. Human relationships are by comparison messy and more complicated, but they are essential to one's development as a human being. Robotics might replace that process because robot-human interaction would tend to look easier and less troublesome. Dr. Kathleen Richardson, robot ethicist in Leicester, warned that sex robots with the capacity for emotion can get in the way of the relationship between spouses.
The conscious objectors of this kind of programming say that anxieties about AI's effect on human employment is paltry by comparison. If ethical diligence is not applied, these new robots just might end up replacing not just humans in their workplace, but in their homes and relationships as well.
