Dearest readers, the history of futurism is actually a course offered in many universities in Canada (and likely in USA too). Studying predictions and speculations of the past as to what the future will look like is something I got into a little bit in my own free time (thanks, YouTube), and I find it fascinating. I would even go so far as to say that the totally inaccurate and outlandish predictions are even more interesting to analyze than all the speculation that turned out to be true in this day and age. I know I sound like a geek right now, but this is fascinating stuff, and something the media and entertainment industries are still doing even today. We base our hopes, dreams and financial investments on speculation abut future technologies and lifestyles; we entertain ourselves with all sorts of interesting visions of future on the big screen. A new Netflix Movie, Extinction, is one such example. Androids being developed to look like us and do our jobs, this creating friction due to racism against androids, and them taking people's jobs, then Androids rebelling against humans and pushing us to leave our planet for a few generations. Meanwhile, most androids have their memories erased and convinced they are humans, taking over our lives and dynamics. This movie is clearly a product of media articles and attitudes that fuel our paranoia and fears about what AI and androids could cause in the future. Having applied past thought processes behind futurism, I came to a conclusion that the absurdities of this movie should be the foundation of a reality check that demonstrates how absurd all of this is.
(Sorry to nerd out on you, but this is what's on my mind now haha)
First, there's the whole android idea. Robots that look like us, sorta think like us, have a combo of tissue and electronics, and they do the jobs we supposedly don't want to. This goes completely against the fact that our planet is overpopulated as is! Even if they don't eat, androids would also have a carbon footprint and an environmental impact. Oh, and having one here in North America will not result with people in other countries having less kids, or people from other countries coming here and taking entry level jobs here as a starting point towards a better life. Just because you or me or the movie script writer thinks that there are jobs we don't want to do, almost every job out there is a chance or a hope or a starting point or a rebound opportunity for some human being out there! So no, I don't think androids will ever become a thing.
Second, the human body is not the ultimate design for most jobs out there! I believe that when different AI solutions get robot bodies, they will be designed for the specific jobs they are supposed to do. Standing upright, going on all fours, just a robotic arm with AI support, a smarter Roomba- the possibilities are endless. What's more, I've seen early examples of AI solutions designing things like drones and cars based on real-world data- so it stands to reason that many other things will be designed the same way, and robots will be humanoid only when this presents the ultimate design solution for a certain purpose.
Third, I tend to agree with those speculators who believe AI, robots and individual humans will team up to work together- it won't be an either/or type of scenario most times. The coolest example I've seen in movies is how Iron Man and Jarvis work together. But hey, let's look at something basic like customer service. Some people think that AI solutions will replace call centers completely. I disagree to an extent. AI will need human support and teamwork even in such an entry level role. The way it'll change, I think, is by taking on the setup of self-checkout cashier machines. For example, at Walmart you typically have a bunch of self-checkout machines, and one person supervising them when they can't handle something. In customer service, an entire department may be downsized to just a few people who would deal with escalations over things that AI virtual reps won't be able to handle for one reason or another.
Finally, I think we will be way more careful about the values we impart on different AI solutions. We're human, so we live die and procreate some time in between the two (most people do, some don't, all good haha). The values of forming relationships, having babies, being a parent- this isn't something we should impart on AI as values it should internalize for itself. It can live forever, so it needs a different set of values. The more we want AI and its robotic avatars to look like us and be like us, the more we'll get wrapped up in making it happen for them than for us, instead of designing it to fulfill purposes and enable us to do more things in life.
So yes, I think AI and robot hysteria makes for great, nail-biting entertainment, but in terms of futurism, it should be rejected by and large.
(Sorry to nerd out on you, but this is what's on my mind now haha)
First, there's the whole android idea. Robots that look like us, sorta think like us, have a combo of tissue and electronics, and they do the jobs we supposedly don't want to. This goes completely against the fact that our planet is overpopulated as is! Even if they don't eat, androids would also have a carbon footprint and an environmental impact. Oh, and having one here in North America will not result with people in other countries having less kids, or people from other countries coming here and taking entry level jobs here as a starting point towards a better life. Just because you or me or the movie script writer thinks that there are jobs we don't want to do, almost every job out there is a chance or a hope or a starting point or a rebound opportunity for some human being out there! So no, I don't think androids will ever become a thing.
Second, the human body is not the ultimate design for most jobs out there! I believe that when different AI solutions get robot bodies, they will be designed for the specific jobs they are supposed to do. Standing upright, going on all fours, just a robotic arm with AI support, a smarter Roomba- the possibilities are endless. What's more, I've seen early examples of AI solutions designing things like drones and cars based on real-world data- so it stands to reason that many other things will be designed the same way, and robots will be humanoid only when this presents the ultimate design solution for a certain purpose.
Third, I tend to agree with those speculators who believe AI, robots and individual humans will team up to work together- it won't be an either/or type of scenario most times. The coolest example I've seen in movies is how Iron Man and Jarvis work together. But hey, let's look at something basic like customer service. Some people think that AI solutions will replace call centers completely. I disagree to an extent. AI will need human support and teamwork even in such an entry level role. The way it'll change, I think, is by taking on the setup of self-checkout cashier machines. For example, at Walmart you typically have a bunch of self-checkout machines, and one person supervising them when they can't handle something. In customer service, an entire department may be downsized to just a few people who would deal with escalations over things that AI virtual reps won't be able to handle for one reason or another.
Finally, I think we will be way more careful about the values we impart on different AI solutions. We're human, so we live die and procreate some time in between the two (most people do, some don't, all good haha). The values of forming relationships, having babies, being a parent- this isn't something we should impart on AI as values it should internalize for itself. It can live forever, so it needs a different set of values. The more we want AI and its robotic avatars to look like us and be like us, the more we'll get wrapped up in making it happen for them than for us, instead of designing it to fulfill purposes and enable us to do more things in life.
So yes, I think AI and robot hysteria makes for great, nail-biting entertainment, but in terms of futurism, it should be rejected by and large.