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Going off the assumption that we are in this plane of existence in order to live, while being quite a big assumption it makes sense because there is no other subconscious direction that we are given, I believe that the assimilation of a human mind into a robotic body is the natural evolution of the human species. Because if our only true purpose is to live, is there any better way than to combine with an undying body that can carry our, seemingly, unkillable minds forever. The concept that we would not enjoy the presence of robots in our daily lives is an understatement as we hate sharing the world even with each other let alone a, vastly, superior being. However, my prediction is that living with robots as our slaves is only the first step towards total robotification of all humans as there does not seem to be a reason not to. And if that is the case, the singularity would not be when robots realize they no longer need us, but when we realize we no longer need our mortal bodies and metamorphize into our final forms. The ultimate, imperfect, being…unkillable, and ever-collecting knowledge of a world where we were born in order to live. Forever.

I found it very interesting that Asimov pretty much made Multivac and its decedents represent God. I think he was trying to show that that is the path we are going down with technology, even though he did write this awhile ago. We are never satisfied when it comes to technology, we always want something faster and more powerful. This combined with the tech industries rapid advancement of technology is brining us down a path were we wont be satisfied with our computers until they are pretty much Gods. We’ve discussed before that if we don’t program robots with Asimov’s laws in mind that they could take over the world yet we still keep pushing forward with technology with no hast. This represents human mentality at the moment, we want the best no matter what the consequences are. In my personal opinion, I would say we are getting close to the point with robots and artificial intelligence that we may want to hold up for a second and think about the implications of making artificial intelligence that is smarter than humans has. I don’t have the answer to that question yet but I think we should start discussing it as a society.

To start out the week, we watched a very intriguing episode of “Humans” that left me wanting more. “Humans” is set in a world where humans have introduced anthropomorphic robots called “synths” that are used as servants. It examines how socially, culturally, and psychologically transforming the effects of being dependent on the synths are. The idea of integrating the synths into society is being heavily pushed and is becoming normalized. As a consequence of Asimov’s three laws, the robot slaves are being used to do our bidding. In the first episode, we follow a family where the mother is not home a lot because of work, an elderly man whose wife has passed away, and a scientist that has implemented consciousness somehow into four synth robots and is being hunted for that reason. In the family, the robot synth is brought into the family dynamic by the father because he cannot manage the household chores without the mother. The mother is horrified by his decision because she believes that they are unnecessary and teach her children to feel like they are entitled to feeling lazy. She is very wary to their robot servant and is uncomfortable with its presence and how it interacts with her children. The robot-human relationship is shown in another light when the elderly man is due for a new model of a synth, but he refuses to let go of his because of the relationship he has created. He treats him as if he were his son and it also seems like he is holding onto the synth because of all the memories it has stored of his wife that has passed away. The synth represents a part of his wife and he desperately wants to hang on to those memories. Lastly, the scientist and the few robots that he successfully made conscious are in hiding because their true identities render them dangers to society. This iterates the fact that humans fear being the inferior species. This is why the synth robot company is taking violent action to capture the conscious robots and make sure that they function like any other robot in society. With their human-characteristics plus consciousness, the robots have the ability to assimilate into society. Just like in Asimov’s short story “The Bicentennial Man”, society is hesitant to accept these robots and fear the possibilities of what they would be capable of.

This brings us back to the question of whether we can create a robot as a free moral agent. In this parallel universe portrayed in “Humans”, it seems like society is straying away from giving robots freedom and rights. We are simply treating them as slaves and using them as a means to an end in order to complete the tasks that we do not want to do. They are used to make humans’ lives easier and less stressful. If we are to integrate the synths into our lives to the point where we are incredibly dependent on them and we feel as if there is no point in applying ourselves because a robot can be programmed to do that job, then we have to have a lot of trust in them. To be a big part of our lives, we give them our trust to make the right decisions. This could be scary because they are programmed to make certain decisions, but instinctive humanistic values could alter which situation is best. It is hard to match human decisions because we can be very irrational and inconsistent.

During class when we watched the tv show, “Humans”, I thought the potential technology that was exhibited was extraordinary and greatly futuristic. However, later on that day, I was on YouTube and came across a video of a human-like robot. It drew my attention and I continued to watch videos of the robot and its abilities. Surprisingly, the abilities and looks of the robot were not far from the capabilities of the robots in “humans”. The robot, while not as real looking, looked like a life size barbie doll. The lips moved when it spoke, there were teeth, and the computer it was connected too was able to hold a conversation.  The engineers said that a goal of theirs was to have the robot have a conscious close to that of humans. The importance of this, they exclaimed, was to have them be able to function and in turn aid in our lives as close as possible to us.

As seen through the precariousness of the Anita in “Humans”, a conscious robot is not something that the human race might not necessarily want. When they become as smart as humans and develop feelings as ours, their role in our lives can begin to cause more harm than help. They can rationalize actions as good, when they can really be disadvantageous to what is trying to be accomplished. Hopefully, this complication will not be developed.

Similarly, if self driving cars develop this type of intelligence, the result can be just as harmful. With the absence of human rationality and holistic understanding, the “right” ethical decision by the car can be disadvantageous to the intentions of the driver. For example, in a situation of an accident, the car could decide to kill one person, who is close to the driver, instead of two people who the driver doesn’t know. While this is a dilemma that has no right answer, I would expect for the driver to be more satisfied if the person close to the driver was saved. In “Human” Anita acts similarly when she takes the daughter because she thinks its for the greater good when it is actually for the worst. Its these of issues surrounding the consciousness of robots and computers that worries me. There is simply no being that can make decisions at the level of the human mind.

When I walked into our first class on Tuesday, January 17th, I had no idea what I was getting myself into, and I was unsure of the path that this class would take. As we began our discussion on technology, I was immediately thrown off-guard when people began to argue the negative effects of technology in society. I never looked at the argument from the other side, and I never thought about the potential complications that technology has placed on our everyday lives. I thought to myself, “How can technology be a negative, when we think about how we use iPhones in our daily lives, or with the advancements that have been made in medical and surgical uses?”. I maintained this thought process until this past Monday, February 27th.
As I walked to my 12 o’clock class of MATH 192, I had a vibrant attitude because the weather was nice and it was a beautiful day to be outside. As I was looking around and enjoying the scenic views of Bucknell’s campus, I also noticed something quite alarming. Everywhere that I looked, I saw people walking around campus staring at their cell phones; ignoring all forms of communication with their peers, and separating themselves from their present surroundings. Additionally, the first move of people just leaving their classes and walking out of an academic building, was to reach into their pockets and see what alerts they had missed during their 52-minute class period. I was shocked to see that this was everyone’s first action upon getting out of class; it was almost an instinctive reaction for people.
As we watched the first episode of Humans in class this past Tuesday, I thought about what I saw while walking to class on Monday and I began to realize that as technology becomes a larger factor in our lives, we begin to slowly forget about the day-to-day interactions with others that makes us inherently human. Why should we go through the awkwardness of talking to someone about a difficult topic, when instead we could just text them and avoid the interaction all together? We have come to value the latest and greatest iPhone over human friendship, and that is unacceptable. During my grandparents’ childhood, all the kids in the neighborhood would be outside, playing games, and having fun. Now children will stay inside and play video games, most of the time alone and against a computer-generated player. Sure, children are still playing games, but it is completely different because they are missing out on what is necessary for their growth into successful adults: interactions with others. Sometimes it is necessary to take a step back and analyze how exactly our society has been impacted by external forces, and I believe that time is now. People need to truly realize how much time they are spending on their phones and other devices, when they could instead be spending quality time with the people that matter to them most: their family and friends.