Weak Robots
We expect robots to work for us,/performing a range of services. They are our servants. After all,/the word robot comes from robota,/a Slavic word meaning “slave” or “servant.” But is it possible for us/to form a more cooperative relationship with robots?
1
When we think about robot technology,/we often think about autonomous robots/which can work independently of human beings. Space probes which wander across the surface of Mars. Delivery robots that drop packages right on our doorsteps. Our vision of the future/is a vision of autonomous robots/driving our cars,/cleaning our houses,/cooking our meals. They might be called “strong” robots,/in the sense that they can work without human help.
While we wait for that future,/we make do with “weak” robots/like the cleaning robot that sweeps our floors. The little guy is cute/but not very smart. He’s always getting tangled up in electrical cords. In order to help him clean the room/without getting into trouble,/you might start by picking up things/which could be in his way.
The room gets cleaned up. But when you ask:/“Who cleaned this room?”/you make an interesting discovery. The little robot did not clean the room by itself. You did not clean the room by yourself. The two of you did it together. The robot cleverly managed to get your cooperation/in cleaning the room. What’s interesting about the little cleaning robot/is that, for all his weakness,/he has become part of your family.
We expect robots to work for us,/performing a range of services. They are our servants. After all,/the word robot comes from robota,/a Slavic word meaning “slave” or “servant.” But is it possible for us/to form a more cooperative relationship with robots?
1
When we think about robot technology,/we often think about autonomous robots/which can work independently of human beings. Space probes which wander across the surface of Mars. Delivery robots that drop packages right on our doorsteps. Our vision of the future/is a vision of autonomous robots/driving our cars,/cleaning our houses,/cooking our meals. They might be called “strong” robots,/in the sense that they can work without human help.
While we wait for that future,/we make do with “weak” robots/like the cleaning robot that sweeps our floors. The little guy is cute/but not very smart. He’s always getting tangled up in electrical cords. In order to help him clean the room/without getting into trouble,/you might start by picking up things/which could be in his way.
The room gets cleaned up. But when you ask:/“Who cleaned this room?”/you make an interesting discovery. The little robot did not clean the room by itself. You did not clean the room by yourself. The two of you did it together. The robot cleverly managed to get your cooperation/in cleaning the room. What’s interesting about the little cleaning robot/is that, for all his weakness,/he has become part of your family.