For my 8th birthday, I didn't ask for a princess, a Barbie doll, or any other item that my friends were asking for. As I carefully pulled the taped wrapping paper, patiently waiting for the tension to alleviate and for the stickiness to subside, I caught a glimpse of what would be my new obsession. Glistening in polar white, with blue accents and robust wheels, at the bottom there was a small engraving - for Husna. I hastily pushed in 8 AA batteries, and watched the blue lights flicker and illuminate as I pressed ‘on’. It animatedly said, “Hello, I am your robot friend.”
Yes, I asked for a robot for my 8th birthday. What else is an 8 year old technology-obsessed kid supposed to ask for? I named it ‘Blue’ and played with it almost every day. Controlled with a remote, it could walk, bend down, crawl underneath chairs and tables, and somewhat successfully climb marble steps. The best part was its ability to talk to me. I’d ask Blue how it was, what it liked to do, what its favorite color was, and more. It couldn’t answer all the questions, but when it did, I would always pat it on the back and pretend to give it a Starbucks cake pop as a prize. ‘Blue’ the Robot seemingly astonished me back then, but the real astonishment from robots comes right now, in 2019. Nowadays, the thought of interacting with a robot is both captivating and terrifying. Manufacturers have replaced their human workers with robots, and tech companies have created robots that serve as personal assistants. Within this realm lies humanoids - robots who look like humans. They possess qualities that augment their intellectual ability, as well as their superhuman physical abilities. But where is the line drawn between a robot and a human? If robots can learn, adapt, and feel just as a human can, is a robot a person?
If you stop a stranger walking down the street and ask them what a robot is (which I did, in fact, do) they’ll say that while they once served as the typical Christmas present to a child, they have quickly evolved into replacing human workers in areas such as auto manufacturing. Responses like these reveal the common knowledge about robots, but within the world of robots lies an obscure sect that most people do not acknowledge — Artificial Intelligence (AI). We constantly interact with this ‘super software’ that helps man solve simple problems. Searching something on Google? The ‘auto-fill’ feature is powered by AI. Happen to see that Spotify has automatically created a playlist with all your favorite songs? That is also brought to you by AI. Or maybe you’re on your 27th youtube video of the night and at the corner of the screen, the bolded gray words “Recommended for you” beguile you to watch a video on ‘Why You Shouldn’t Buy a Home.’ This too, is powered by AI.
Today, AI has been taken to a whole new level. No longer do robots consist of “Blue’s.” Now, they consist of machines that are fully capable of independently thinking and solving problems. If you combine artificial intelligence with a humanoid robot, you create a machine capable of learning, adapting, comprehending emotions, interacting with others, and solving problems—you create a person. The most remarkable advancements of robots are not only in terms of their intellectual capabilities, but also their rights. In particular, Saudi Arabia granted citizenship, a human right, to the distinguished Sophia the Robot, effectively setting a precedent as to what the future may hold for the further advancement of robot humanoids.
To me, these humanoids are an extremely powerful tool that can replace humans in the most complex tasks. Imagine the military being able to employ these adaptable robots to, say, defuse a bomb, or run into gunfire? The use of these robots will not only minimize human casualties, but it will create an entire structure that will reinforce the quality and rigor of the military. We can create police forces comprised of Humanoids, that are not prone to the limitations of human police forces. Replacing humans with robots that complete the same tasks in a more successful and efficient degree, establishes robots as people.
I hope to be someone who can contribute to the list of skills that a robot might put on its resume.
I would love to continue to investigate robotic capabilities until they can replace professionals, such as counselors, therapists, or even replace companions, such as dogs and friends.
As with all technology, the possibilities are endless, and if I know one thing for sure, its that we are no longer in the company of robots like Blue.
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