Das Week 3: Robotics & Art

Industrialization

    A quote that has been on my mind lately is, “your productivity does not define your worth”, and I thought that perspective would be an intriguing one to open this conversation on the idea of industrialization. Prof. Vesna explored advanced technology and mechanisms that were created as a result of man becoming outdated and machines taking its place as the front force of production, from assembly lines that result in the laptop I’m typing this blog post on (Uconlineprogram; Robotics pt1). Productivity and progress is inevitable; we are constantly improving and one-upping what we know to exist, but what about the effects of industrialization on human behavior? Replacing man with machine may have moved us from the manufacturing line to the control room, but the constant, overbearing work ethic, the idea of meeting an end goal, the idea of success, “toxic productivity” almost seems to be so ingrained in our Western culture, and I bet we can thank industrialization for that, as well (Uconlineprogram; Robotics pt3). 

Dirk the Homeless Robot

    Humans have begun to operate just as those machines do in a way, placing our value on completing a job and being “of use”, which is not necessarily a negative idea, but too much of anything is detrimental. It’s only natural; the obvious course of action for those scared of robots replacing human jobs and taking employment opportunities would be to mimic the behavior of the thing stealing their career paths. A film I am reminded of when discussing this subject is Big Hero 6, where a young boy discovers a friendly robot, designed to take care of people; a healthcare professional, therapist, and friend rolled up into one cute creation (“Big Hero 6”). I think that’s an interesting idea to bring up, especially in the space of AI robotics mimicking human behavior, the other way around, as we see with Dirk the homeless robot (Mirenfred; Dirk the homeless robot). Dr. David Hanson spoke on “building robots that are characters…that will eventually come to empathize with you” (“Robots That ‘Show Emotion’”). Hod Lipson discussed rewarding robots for self-replicating and “letting them evolve and learn, like children” (“Building ‘Self-Aware’ Robots). These are a few of many examples of the exact opposite discussion I posed, where we are attempting to make robots more like humans as we, humans, become more like robots. It’s almost as if we are fusing into one core being, the best parts of each concept shaking hands. 

Big Hero 6


SOURCES:

“Big Hero 6.” Walt Disney, 2015. 

Hanson, David. “Robots That ‘Show Emotion.’” David Hanson: Robots That "Show Emotion" | TED Talk, https://www.ted.com/talks/david_hanson_robots_that_show_emotion. 

Lipson, Hod. “Building ‘Self-Aware’ Robots.” Hod Lipson: Building "Self-Aware" Robots | TED Talk, https://www.ted.com/talks/hod_lipson_building_self_aware_robots. 

Mirenfred. (2008, September 07). Dirk the homeless robot/www.electric-circus.eu. Retrieved April 11, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HfmKXfp394

Uconlineprogram. (2012, April 15). Robotics pt1. Retrieved April 11, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRw9_v6w0ew&t=1s

Uconlineprogram. (2012, April 16). Robotics pt3. Retrieved April 11, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkP7oSZVkbg&t=1s


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