There are hundreds of people in the world who discuss the topic of robots in society. Some people believe that it is a good idea to create robots, while others oppose the idea. From tons of examples in the media, there are many people who fear the idea of incorporating robots into society.

     There are hundreds of people in the world who discuss the topic of robots. Some believe it is a good idea to have robots while others oppose the idea of integrating robots into society. As seen through movies and media, there are tons of people who are fearful of robots. I believe that these robots are no threat to humanity to an extent and that they are more beneficial to humanity than dangerous.

     When I say robots, I mean all kinds. This is a large range of machines that extends from a toaster to the T-1000. Both fictional and nonfictional machines will be considered as well. Of course everyone would agree that a toaster is useful; a toaster would never send the human race into oblivion. How about a machine more complicated? A washing machine? No. A refrigerator? Of course not! How about an industrialized machine? This is where the argument starts. For the meantime, I will avoid talking about sentient robots and I will focus on machinery, the ones that take jobs away. 

     The 18th century ended with a major technological advancement known as the Industrial Revolution. Beginning in Britain, “Industrialization marked a shift to powered, special-purpose machinery, factories and mass production”(History). Machines such as the cotton gin and the steam engine made transportation and the production of cotton easier. Before the Industrial Revolution, a lot of people would have to work on the fields or in factories, struggling through the tedious tasks they were given for long hours without any breaks. There were few, if any, labor laws at the time and the working conditions were atrocious but with these machines, production became a little easier.

     By the end of the 19th century, the world saw its second Industrial Revolution. The second Industrial Revolution was the, “beginning of mass production in manufacturing and consumer goods”(Niiler). By this point in time, products were being created in factories instead of homes and the world saw new technologies such as radios, automobiles, Henry Ford’s assembly lines, and better communication systems. Tons of products were now available for everyone to buy and these new machines made mass production easier. From the mid-20th century to the 21st century, mankind discovered how to utilize nuclear energy. In addition to nuclear energy the transistor was created, which allowed us to create small computer chips and more advanced digital technology. Throughout all of this history, machinery had slowly taken people’s jobs which affected people in good and bad ways. Although machinery began to make skilled craftsmen obsolete, it saved many people from working in grueling conditions in factories.  In addition to working conditions, digital technology has created new job opportunities that are more liberating than being in a factory (Kennedy). In the modern day, internet and digital technology is becoming so advanced that we may be entering an age of advanced robotics. People have created robots that range from prosthetic limbs to dancing robots. At this point, the discussion of robots turn to advanced artificial intelligence.

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    There are many people who are working very hard on creating A.I., some being modeled after humans. Hanson Robotics is a robotics company that has dedicated its resources to creating human-like A.I. From the past few years, they have been working on several robots but their most well-known accomplishment was making one known as Sophia (Hanson). Sophia is capable of facial, emotional, and gestural recognition, as well as perform basic motor functions, simulate human emotion, and have a one-on-one conversation with someone (Hanson). This is just the beginning of the creation of Artificial Intelligence. Many people have feared the creation of such robotics, often comparing them to the Terminator series of A.I. from the movie series, The Terminator. The film industry has created many movies on this subject which tend to include robots achieving sentience and maybe even starting a revolution, as seen in the 2004 movie I, Robot. Other examples of A.I. are shown in The Matrix series and Blade Runner. Beyond the movie industry, there are other forms of media that express the similar discourse. A video game called Detroit: Become Human depicts interactions between humans and androids that is very reminiscent to the racial struggles during the Civil Rights movement in the U.S. In all of these forms of media, Artificial Intelligence is depicted as both a great and terrible thing to have.

     I believe that having these robots, sentient or not, around would be more of a benefit than what is commonly believed. Just like our factory machines and everyday appliances, they will be useful as a tool to make life more comfortable. Those who are sentient would be treated as family members and I am sure that they would behave just like any other human. They would be able to explore the universe and colonize planets for us, work in harsher places that they can handle, and do things that us humans would be unable to do alone. They would be the best babysitters, caregivers, caretakers, friends, and they would be able to take care of the elderly. People wouldn’t have to be alone and they would feel safe. Although it is science fiction, prime examples would be: Robby the Robot from the movie, Forbidden Planet (1956) or the Mister Handy named Codsworth from the video game Fallout 4. Although this future sounds nice, there is one major problem that mankind must face.

     The greatest threat that we must deal with is ourselves. Destruction is what mankind tends to create and I know we are doing the best we can to control the waste we create. If we were to have A.I. turn against us, we should know that human folly is to blame. In this age of drones and government surveillance, it would not be surprising if someone were controlling our robots from a distance. The only reason that a machine or robot would turn against us is if we made it turn against us. Mankind has been in countless wars and I do not doubt that all new technology can and will be used for war, so it would not be too surprising to see mankind turn against itself. Therefore, when people say that Artificial Intelligence is a bad idea since they will turn against us, they should really be saying that mankind is not responsible or advanced enough to create something that can easily be used to destroy. Although I look forward to the future of Automatons, we might need to stick with the dancing robots until we are willing to take responsibility for our actions.

 

Works Cited:

Hanson Robotics website. Sophia. http://www.hansonrobotics.com/sophia/. Web. February 13, 2019.

History.com Editors. Industrial Revolution. January 10, 2019. http://www.history.com/topics/industrial-revolution/industrial-revolution.

Kennedy, Dane. Will Robots Rule the World? December 11, 2017.

http://www.historians.org/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-history/december-2017/will-robots-rule-the-world.

Niiler, Eric. How the Second Industrial Revolution Changed Americans’ Lives. January 25, 2019. http://www.history.com/news/second-industrial-revolution-advances.