According to author Janis Svilpis, science fiction works as a “literature of ideas,” functioning as inspiration for theorists, scientists, and technological engineers (430). In robotic intimacies, the Turing Test is renowned for developing a test for measuring the intelligence of an artificial intelligence (AI). It can be assumed that the Turing Test will become more relevant as robotic technology advances, with authors like Rodney Brooks claiming that we are in a “robotics revolution” (10). With the inevitability of the robotics revolution, this essay will ask the question of what conditions are necessary for robots to be considered equal to humans? In researching this question, this paper will use the 2015 science fiction film Ex Machina …show more content…
At the forefront of this conversation is author David Levy, whose book Love and Sex with Robots explores topics of human and robotic intimacy. Levy identifies that human feelings of attachment and love are closely related, however can have differing origins and properties (27). For example, the phenomenon known as “material possession attachment” is a form of attachment which originates through an owner’s repeated interaction with a physical object (Levy 28). While it can be argued that a person develops a relationship with a mechanical object, it is not reciprocal, and thus can not be considered love. This difference is important in the case of robotic intimacy because it identifies the significance of reciprocity in programming a robot’s sexuality. While a human might feel an attachment to a robot, the programming of reciprocity prevents robotic sexuality from being attributed to mechanical …show more content…
In application to Ex Machina, Nathan’s design of Ava is discovered later in the film to be personalized to Caleb’s personality, based on his data as an employee of the company. As a result, Caleb develops a connection with Ava, resulting in his endorsement for Ava’s right not to be discarded. Additionally, at the climax of the film when Kyoko helps Ava escape, Nathan finds himself unable to fight back due to his attraction to Kyoko, therefore treating her as an equal. Next, in discussing social influences as a condition for love, Levy identifies social norms and expectations as influential to a relationship (40). In Ex Machina, many of the social pressures that may have prevented Caleb from becoming attracted to Ava are non-existence given their distance from society. As a result, the social influences in relation to Caleb’s isolation with Ava allowed the development of an intimate connection between the human and robot. Lastly, Levy states that specific cues influence the beginning of attraction between two people (40). In application to Ex Machina, specific cues influence Caleb into treating Ava as an equal due to her recognition of his mannerisms and body language, leading to Caleb feeling connected with her. In addition, Ava’s personalized social cues (which were designed
Imagine having a grandparent in a nursing home. They have dementia, and not many other family members can make time to come visit often. Thus, loneliness ensues, so the head of the nursing home decides that it would be wise to use a robot pet to soothe their pain. Alarmingly, they believe the robotic companion is a real animal, and the nursing home workers have been advised not to tell them otherwise. Does this seem ethical? How would the loved one feel if they find out that the animal is, in fact, a computer inside of a furry robot exoskeleton coded to show love and attention? These computerized companions were invented purely for fun. Others are used to soothe the elderly. One of the first in the world of these pets, a robotic seal named Paro was created after over a decade of work and millions of dollars in investments. They are coded to show love and companionship, designed for kids and older people alike. Robotic pets are unwelcome because they don’t teach responsibility to children, can isolate others from human interaction, and can be unnerving to others.
Andy Clark strongly argues for the theory that computers have the potential for being intelligent beings in his work “Mindware: Meat Machines.” The support Clark uses to defend his claims states the similar comparison of humans and machines using an array of symbols to perform functions. The main argument of his work can be interpreted as follows:
In this paper, I will explore ethical issues to the artificial intelligence. In Wallach and Allen coauthored “Moral machines: teaching robots right from wrong”, they explore on many theories and practical issues for AMAs. I will use this book to interpret Wallach and Allen’s ideas of ethical design.
Authentic and intimate relationships are very important in our life. Turkle has defined the word authenticity in her article. She says that “Authenticity, for me, follows from the ability to put oneself to the place of another, to relate to the other because of shared store of human experiences: we are born, have families, and know loss and the reality of death. A robot, however sophisticated, is patently out of this loop” (268). By stating this she wants point out that when mankind shares experiences with others, they get attached emotionally and establish authentic relationships. However, sharing experiences with robots does not involve emotions, because robots are not humans. They are just human made creatures which seem alive, but cannot have any feelings. People use robots to make love out of it and to share their feelings. “Love and sex seems to celebrate an emotional dumbing down, a willful turning away from the complexities of human partnership- the inauthentic as a new aesthetic” (268). Here aesthetic means appreciating the beauty of robots. When people start loving robots, they appreciate the beauty of unreal relationships with robots rather than having real and intimate relationships. Having love and sex with robots has no emotions involved. As a technological creature, robot can only give pleasure and satisfaction to the user without any feelings of love and care. There are many medical technologies which are developed to make produce love in inauthentic way. Slater talks about the medical technology like neural implantation. She talks about Mario who had OCD and got neural implantation to love his daughter and his family. Slater says that, “He wanted a shot at the ordinary, a lawn he might mow just once a week. The ability to endure the mess and touch of children. He decided the
One of the hottest topics that modern science has been focusing on for a long time is the field of artificial intelligence, the study of intelligence in machines or, according to Minsky, “the science of making machines do things that would require intelligence if done by men”.(qtd in Copeland 1). Artificial Intelligence has a lot of applications and is used in many areas. “We often don’t notice it but AI is all around us. It is present in computer games, in the cruise control in our cars and the servers that route our email.” (BBC 1). Different goals have been set for the science of Artificial Intelligence, but according to Whitby the most mentioned idea about the goal of AI is provided by the Turing Test. This test is also called the imitation game, since it is basically a game in which a computer imitates a conversating human. In an analysis of the Turing Test I will focus on its features, its historical background and the evaluation of its validity and importance.
2. Asimov, Isaac, and Karen A. Frankel. ROBOTS: Machines in Man's Image. New York: Harmony Books, 1985. p 2.
Asimov’s robots can be described as clumsy, hard-working, cost-efficient, soulless, strong, fast, obedient, human-made, a cleaner better breed, more human than man.
When most people think of artificial intelligence they might think of a scene from I, Robot or from 2001: A Space Odyssey. They might think of robots that highly resemble humans start a revolution against humanity and suddenly, because of man’s creation, man is no longer the pinnacle of earth’s hierarchy of creatures. For this reason, it might scare people when I say that we already utilize artificial intelligence in every day society. While it might not be robots fighting to win their freedom to live, or a defense system that decides humanity is the greatest threat to the world, artificial intelligence already plays a big role in how business is conducted today.
Bar-Cohen, Y. (2009). The coming robot revolution expectations and fears about emerging intelligent, humanlike machines. Springer.
Nowadays, technology is a dominant feature in the lives of people around the world. Most of daily life activities involve the use of technology which is expanding every day through scientific innovations. However, such innovations do not always occur in every part of the world, but mostly in technologically developed countries, such as South Korea, the USA and Japan. Presently, the development of robotics science has become a subject of considerable attention in those countries. According to Weng, Chen and Sun (2009, 267), “Technocrats from many developed countries, especially Japan and South Korea, are preparing for the human–robot co-existence society that they believe will emerge by 2030.” The word “robot” was introduced in the beginning of 1920th by the Czech playwright Karel Capek from the Czech word “robota”, meaning “forced labor” (Robertson 2007, 373). According to Robertson (2007, 373), robot, in practical usage, can be defined as an autonomous or semiautonomous device that is used to perform its tasks either controlled by human, fractionally controlled and with human guidance or regardless of external actions that are performed by people. Regrettably, the majority of robots in the past centuries could not operate without human control and intervention. However, the progress in robotics over the past few decades enabled humanity to achieve soaring results in creation of autonomous humanoid robots.
Artificial Intelligence, also known as AI, allows a machine to function as if the machine has the capability to think like a human. While we are not expecting any hovering cars anytime soon, artificial intelligence is projected to have a major impact on the labor force and will likely replace about half the workforce in the United States in the decades to come. The research in artificial intelligence is advancing rapidly at an unstoppable rate. So while many people feel threatened by the possibility of a robot taking over their job, computer scientists actually propose that robots would benefit a country’s efficiency of production, allowing individuals to reap the benefits of the robots. For the advantage of all, researchers and analysts have begun to mend the past ideas of human-robot interaction. They have pulled inspiration from literary works of Isaac Asimov whom many saw as the first roboticist ahead of his time, and have also gotten ideas of scholarly research done by expert analysts. These efforts have began to create an idea of a work force where humans and robots work together in harmony, on a daily basis.
Purdy, Ellen M. 2008. "The Increasing Role of Robots in National Security." Defense AT&L 37, no. 3: 26. MasterFILE Premier, EBSCOhost (accessed nov.1, 2011).
The approach to artificial intelligence should be proceeded with caution. Throughout recent years and even decades before, it has been a technological dream to produce artificial intelligence. From movies, pop culture, and recent technological advancements, there is an obsession with robotics and their ability to perform actions that require human intelligence. Artificial intelligence has become a real and approachable realization today, but should be approached with care and diligence. Humans can create advanced artificial intelligence but should not because of the harm they may cause, the monumental advancement needed in the technology, and that its harm outweighs its benefits.
Harroway, Donna . "Cyborgs to Companion Species: Reconfiguring Kinship in Technoscience." English 387 Course Pack. Regina: Professor J. Battis, 2009. 304-311. Print.
Needs and desires were demonstrated to be authentic in Sherry Turkle’s work Alone Together Why We Expect More from Technology and less from Each Other, along with Leslie Bell’s work Hard to get Twenty-Something Women and the Paradox of Sexual Freedom. Specifically, with the need of emotional assistance, or rather just an attachment of some kind to the need of the children and the robotic toys, and with Jayanthi and her discomfort in not being an independent individual. However, although needs and desires are truly an authentic occurrence needs and desires could be cultivated like what was accomplished in Japan through the efforts of Mega Marketing by surrounding influences and thus, needs and desires is a culmination of influences, but also real emotional needs and wants that must be met in order to ensure happiness in any