Week 3 - Robotics + Art - Blake Kirshner

 In the late 1700's to about 1840 the world was going through a period of time called "The Industrial Revolution". This was a time where machines were being built, electricity was being used to work through all hours of the night, assembly lines were made, and day to day life changed forever. In America, if you didn't get on the train then you had to get out of the way and get left behind. However, there was a certain phobia towards these machines as people were not used to them. 

As the capabilities of these machines increased, so did the phobia surrounding them. It created two different mindsets, some fascinated with how robots could change our world for the better, and others very suspicious of how they could harm the human existence. 

One of my favorite movies is I-Robot, which is a film starring Will Smith that is based around a phobia of robots and a story about how things could go wrong. It isn't incredibly realistic, but people are entertained by this kind of plot because this fear of a super-intelligent machine exists in everyone's mind today. 

This is one example of how society has reacted to industrialization and machines with great suspicion. Rodney Brooks breaks down this issue concerning with how robots or artificial intelligence will take over our lives slowly but surely. The debate isn't wether or not robots will surpass human level intelligence, but rather when and how this will happen. Without a careful approach, a powerful machine could do lots of harm to humanity if not centered in human ethics and morals. 

Sources:

I, Robot (2004 Film) Themes

https://www.gradesaver.com/i-robot-2004-film/study-guide/themes

Events: Reconstruction and Industrialization: Timeline: The Association of Religion Data Archives

https://www.thearda.com/timeline/events/event_301.asp

How do people react to appearance of robots?

https://tectales.com/bionics-robotics/how-do-people-react-to-appearance-of-robots.html

Robots will invade our lives

https://www.ted.com/talks/rodney_brooks_robots_will_invade_our_lives?language=en

Council Post: Robots Aren't Taking Over The World (Yet) - Artificial Plus Human Intelligence Is Still The Best Combo

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/04/28/robots-arent-taking-over-the-world-yet---artificial-plus-human-intelligence-is-still-the-best-combo/?sh=3bc33a916152