My Sunday Thought for 02282016: Robotic Empathy

“The Master created humans first as the lowest type, most easily formed. Gradually, he replaced them by robots, the next higher step, and finally he created me, to take the place of the last humans.”

--Isaac Asimov, "I, Robot"

NOTE:  Prior to continuing your read of this post, please review the youtube video,  Atlas, the Next Generation.  Review of this footage will give some context to my thoughts.

I happened across this YouTube video, thanks to a dear friend, Atlas, the Next Generation.  I have a long affinity for anything robotic since my first encounter with them in the science fiction movies of the fifties.  I think my first memory is the 1954 film, Tobor the Great, which was followed up by Robby the Robot in the 1956 film, Forbidden Planet.  Through the Terminator, Alien, Star Wars, and Star Trek franchises, Blade Runner, Bicentennial Man, AI, and so many other standalone movies, none have had the impact on me which Adam Link had in the 1964, Outer Limits episode, I, Robot, in which a robot is put on trial for murder.  What most of our films have in common is our interest and search for the humanity in such artificial intelligence; the question of when a robot becomes human, and what emotion we, as humans, would attach to them.

When I watched the footage of Atlas, the Next Generation, I was struck by how quickly I was affected by the seeming cruelty of the man putting the robot through its paces.  I immediately forgot, for a fraction of a second, this was simply a presentation of the robot's capabilities.  I found myself asking how the human would like being pushed down and prodded by a hockey stick, embarrassed on film by having the box, which you're supposed to pick up, constantly moved beyond reach.  I was reminded of the scene in Escape from the Planet of the Apes, an excerpt I have included from the plot summary, by Tim Dirks, on AMC Filmsite:

To the animal keeper named Arthur, Dr. Dixon announced he would begin testing the apes, Zira first, with the Wisconsin Multiphasic - a test to identify different colored and shaped wooden blocks, with a window shade-like screen between the test subject and the observer. Zira quickly identified and answered the first question, prompting Dixon to say: "She seems to be pretty smart." With a more difficult test, Zira swiftly selected the five correct blocks to confound the disbelieving doctors. She also replaced all twelve blocks into their proper carved-out drawer slots. But with the next unfamiliar test, dangling a banana high in front of her, she paused before assembling interlocking large-sized colored blocks in the cell in order to allow herself to sit directly under the tempting food - and then deliberately chose not to eat it. Dr. Branton was incredulous: "Why doesn't she take it?" -- and Zira, exasperated by this time, blurted out: "Because I loathe bananas!", impatiently exposing the fact that she had the power of speech.

There will come a time, in our development of artificial intelligence, when this robot will finally snatch the stick from the man's hands, whack him with it, and break it in two while asking, "How do you like it?"  If more animals did that, more humans might show them due respect.  Hit me and I will bite you.  Hit me harder and I will bite you harder.  Tie me up, beat me, and sooner or later I will get free to rip out your throat or scratch out your eyes.

If we feel emotion toward the maltreatment of robots at this stage of their development, what will we feel as they progress toward more human form, function, and personality?  How will we react when they display emotion of their own?  We argue against making them look too human for this very reason, yet we feel empathy for them when they are just arms and legs attached to a box.  How will we react when they look, act, and feel more human than humans?  What would we do if they became better than the best of us?  

God gives us the ingenuity and intelligence to press forward with creating an entity in our own image.  Perhaps it will be the next in a long line of heavenly lessons for mankind that we create something to show us how we are supposed to act, since we can't seem to grasp the basic concepts.

Just a thought, my Sunday Thought, for February 28, 2016.

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so.  This is also why, occasionally, I will present an "opinion" just to stir an emotional pot.  Where it may sound like I agree with the statements made, I'm more interested in getting others to consider another viewpoint. 

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years with military intelligence, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.

Pastor Tony spent 22 years with Air Force Intelligence as a planner, analyst, briefer, and instructor. He is founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance and author/editor of the Congregation's official blog site, "The Path," which offers a vehicle for commentary and guidance concerning one's own personal, spiritual, path toward peace and the final destination.