Page 32 - aruba-today-20170819

A32 FEATURE
Saturday 19 auguSt 2017
From Isaac Asimov to Aimee Mann, ‘robophobia’ plagues humans

By DAN SEWELL self, why would robots be
Associated Press different? And people are
CINCINNATI (AP) — Robots very quick to say, ‘Well, ro-
are secretly plotting to kill bots are intelligent, they do
us. Or enslave us. Or, at what humans can do,’ and
best, they will take our jobs, there’s this fear that was
one by one. sort of instilled by science
From science fiction writ- fiction.” Comparing fear of
ten by Isaac Asimov eight robots to 19th-century wor-
decades ago to “Dilbert” ries about steam engines,
cartoons today, the rela- Choset said: “Robots are
tionship between robots just the next generation of
and humans has long fas- tools.”
cinated — and worried — Singer Aimee Mann, with
people. help from actress Laura Lin-
There’s even a term, “ro- ney, humorously depicted
bophobia,” for an irrational the danger of letting robots
anxiety about robots and help you too much in this
other advanced automa- music video .
tion machines. And Choset was amused
And there are concerns by a recent “Dilbert “ strip
beyond the ones stoked by about the boss’ inability to
watching too much “Termi- stop a robot worker who
nator .” In this Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2006 file photo, “Actroid,” a robot made by the Japanese company decided to quit.
Apple computer pioneer Kokoro Co., welcomes visitors during a preview of a robot show in Taipei, Taiwan. The company Chris Boggess, 18, found
Steve Wozniak once sug- says it can recognize speech in four languages. the 2004 movie “I, Robot ,”
Associated Press about a rogue killer robot

In this Sunday, May 7, 2017 file photo, a robot with the Luxembourg team, right, prepares to kick
the ball towards the goalkeeper robot from the Italian team ‘nomadZ’, left, during a soccer match
for the Standard Platform Liga competition at the RoboCup GermanOpen 2017 in Magdeburg,
Germany.
Associated Press
Researchers vary in pro- her head.
jections on how long from As chief technology officer drawn from Asimov sto-
now, if ever, such a threat for a private-public effort ries, frightening, but he has
could exist. to facilitate robotic solu- come to understand and
n this Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2000 file photo, visitors of the world For now, deaths by robot tions in U.S. manufacturing, appreciate their potential
exhibition Expo 2000 stand in front of a robot display at the
“Planet of Visions” exhibit at the Expoground in Hanover, are very rare among indus- professor Howie Choset of through the Butler Tech ro-
northern Germany. trial accidents. However, Carnegie Mellon University botics program at Colerain
Associated Press in July 2015, a 57-year- in Pittsburgh sees the fear High School near Cincinna-
old technician was killed of robots taking jobs mak- ti. “The first day I walked in,
gested that robots would evolving self-awareness, by a robotic machine in ing his mission tougher. I fell in love. I knew this was
turn us into their pets . similar to the humanoids in an Ionia, Michigan, plant “You have to start this dis- where I needed to be,”
Physicist Stephen Hawking the HBO series “Westworld that makes auto bumpers, cussion with the baseline Boggess said. “I like robots,
and tech entrepreneur Elon .” trailer hitches and chrome- that automation and in- anything about technolo-
Musk have also warned Hawking told the BBC in plated plastics. Her hus- novation creates jobs,” he gy.” And if some day think-
about the dangers of go- 2014 that “development band filed a federal law- said, by leading to new ing robots acquired the
ing too far, too quickly, in of full artificial intelligence suit, being contested by products and processes ability to threaten humans,
developing “thinking ro- could spell the end of the the defendants, alleging a and the new jobs to make he said, “I would probably
bots” with programmed in- human race.” malfunctioning robot took and operate them. try to make friends with
telligence that might keep So there’s that. her “by surprise,” crushing “Then you have to ask your- them.”q