The protagonist is a retired cat burglar named Frank who suffers from early symptoms of dementia in “Robot and Frank”, a 2012 movie. Worried and guilty, Frank’s son buys for him a home robot that can talk, do cooking and cleaning tasks, and reminds Frank to take his drugs on time. Frank is initially not pleased with the thought of living with a robot in the film, but he eventually begins to see the robot as a practical instrument and companion. With a bond between a man and a computer, the film ends on a happy note. All of this may be our future.
John Danaher, a philosopher of robotics, focuses on the nature of true friendship by the Greek philosopher Aristotle, who speaks of a relationship founded on mutual goodwill, respect, and common values. He says friendship, in a way, is nothing but a relationship between equals. But creating a robot with that amount of emotion is going to be difficult, according to John. The closest thing we have to this philosophy is Sophia from Hanson Robotics. This AI robot places its actions on a pre-prepared answer library that makes it a chatbot rather than a conversational counterpart. If you communicate with Alexa or Siri, before reaching the Aristotle degree of bonding, you will find that AI has a long way to go.
It has been found that communicating with robots comes as easy for some people as it comes with pets, individuals, and possessions. Some individuals respond socially to computers and televisions, psychologists said, but humanoid robots are significantly different from televisions and computers. It’s not just a voice that talks, it’s a more human-like system.
A group of UK researchers who have formed a collection of robotics ethical standards argue that a human-robot companion is an oxymoron and that it is dishonest and disturbing to spread that robots can interpret social signals like humans.
On the other side, by giving them pet names, some individuals build bonds with machines such as vacuum-cleaning and lawn-trimming machines. Not only utility machines, but the Aibo robot dog from Sony is also a life-like companion robot with which owners have a great bond. These stories are proof that if they do not display any signs of danger, we are capable of having emotional bonds with robots.
If all goes well, many of us will follow the direction of Frank and embrace the fact that robots can make good companions. Humans are social creatures and social contact in our ways is satisfying. In this way, it seems likely that a robotic bond can help people who lack human connections and resolve the need for social contacts, such as offering physical comfort during pain, emotional support, and pleasant social interactions. An expectation set too high may be to assume an Aristotle-defined bond, but a co-existing future with robots is unavoidable.
Follow and connect with us on Facebook, Linkedin & Twitter
