Capitol Hill Blue Forums Political Issues Finance, the economy & Economics Robot in Your Future? Or, Robots are the Future?

Anomalous robot facial expressions.

Is the science of the artifacts of robot procreation called robotots?

Yes. Many moons ago as a young'in, I remember reading some short sci-fi story about some human astronaut/space explore landing/returning on/to some planet (possibly a future earth)where the machines/robots had taken over. A native (robot hunter gather)had discovered him and his colleague, and promptly proceeded to grab his colleague and dismember him, much as a kid would pull an insect apart. It then put him in his robot backpack and brought him home, possibly as a pet,item of interest, or food. At any rate, our intrepid voyager chronicled what followed after arriving at the robot's home, including an interaction between the robot and his wife where there was some kind of exchange of electricity. I remember our protagonist described it as "sex." If their intercourse produced anything (and why not, it is sci-fi),it would undoubtedly and undeniably be called a robotot.

The key to getting people to let your expression-recognition software use their PC camera, is to make that into a service that delivers something they want.

Right off the top of my head, I am remembering a story that included an interactive CGI porn website that received some kind of feedback from subscribers and gradually mutated the characters and acts depicted to maximize their interest. In the story, the young naïve protagonist was cut off from the web for a couple of months (for the unwilling adventure central to the plot). When he got back online, he was completely repulsed by the current porn because he had missed out on the evolution.

But that just shows the problem with their technology: They didn't have individual feedback from each subscriber. If the facial-expression recognition company just offered free self-mutating CGI porn, they would get millions of voluntary subscribers. Then they could mine the expression data they received during the time subscribers were looking at non-porn webpages and market that to advertisers, etc.

We need to keep in mind that robots (even the most sophisticated) are still objects, not people (or even corporations ): They belong to somebody who presumably programs them to do something they want done. So they are not really all that different from using a washing machine, as opposed to using the services of a person you hire or buy to wash your clothes.

In fact, the comparison is quite apt: The washing machine does a good job, as long as you fetch the dirty clothes, sort them into the right groups, remove the clean clothes, dry them, maybe iron them, move them to the right closets or drawers, etc. All things that a laundry-servant would do for you.

Same thing with every other appliance in the home, assembly robot in a car factory, etc. The closest thing to a robot that actually does the entire job is probably one of those robot vacuum cleaners that can actually go connect themselves to their charger when they are finished. Still can't empty their dirtbag and take that out to the garbage chute, but they do provide endless entertainment for some cats who have learned to use them for canine ambush.

The Artificial Intelligence problem is a VERY big one. I suspect we will have human brains walking around in robot bodies long before we have AIs that are anywhere near as competent. Unless we manage to find a connection to some sort of interstellar information network and find a free (AKA malware) download. (See Accelerando by Charles Stross)

I think that you're right. It will be interesting to see what sort of intelligence evolves if computers ever do become self-aware/conscious. The scene towards the end of Spielberg's film, A.I.was memorable when the computers evolved into some kind of conscious life form and referred to the boy robot as a machine. If you haven't seen Elysium already, you may want to check it out.

I like Chuck Lorre's take on the future:
In other words, robotic research's ultimate goal is that WE become the "robots".

Before then, however, the world will have to deal with the economic, social, and political problems resulting from the robots going on-line and replacing workers within the next two decades. The problem is on the horizon and you don't need binoculars to see it. These robots are not going to need that many human helpers, adding to an increased population of chronically unemployed. I believe that the governments- at least in the remaining "free-world"- will tax the robots- or at least their owners- in an attempt to compensate for the revenue lost for formerly employed.

Perhaps I was too obtuse in presenting the point about where will the money come from to buy the production from the robots?

There is a calculation, in this scenario, of diminishing returns - the robots replace workers who then have no money to participate in the economy and so the market for goods and services declines. It doesn't matter how cheaply those goods can be produced if not enough people can afford to buy them.

Unless there is some more artificial means of redistributing wealth besides through wages, so that the goods and services provided robotically can be paid for, then the economy will collapse along with the demand for robots.

It's another strange pursuit of technology for no sane purpose.

You humans are an odd bunch...

You weren't obtuse at all. Not only the question arises how will people be able to afford the stuff, but also how will government make up tax revenue lost from the formerly employed? I asked the same questions myself, when the government/corporations with the help of Congress began sending all the jobs overseas. The introduction of robots will just increase the problems. If the recent Christmas retail sales and port shipping activity are any indication, the country's economy is in for a world of hurt. The only thing that we export any more is what's left of our middle class.