iRobot, uRobot, weRobot…

The future of cyborgs, robotics, and artificial intelligence is most likely unimaginably vast. I say most likely because there’s no way to know for sure. In the 19^th century steam-powered machinery was the leading technology, but coal-powered technology swooped in and left steam-power in the dust. It was such a sudden takedown that an entire fantasy culture known as Steampunk has been built out of that what-if idea, imagining how things might have been if coal had never taken over.

However, for the sake of staying on topic, let’s just assume that the track we are currently on is the track we will stay on indefinitely, with no surprises. In that case, I agree with Kevin Kelly when he says, “It may be hard to believe, but by the end of this century, 70 percent of today’s occupations will likewise be replaced by automation” (Kelly, 2012). It doesn’t matter how we personally feel about it, but robots and automation will eventually take over the majority of the jobs we have today. It will be overwhelming, and it will seem merciless, but it will happen. Robots are just better at detail-oriented jobs.

The Robots Are Coming

When Kelly talks about people mistrusting robots to perform tasks that are, objectively, better suited to robots than people, I admit that I fall into that category. While it may be true that “A brain known as the autopilot can pilot a 787 jet unaided,” I definitely feel more comfortable irrationally placing “human pilots in the cockpit to babysit the autopilot ‘just in case’” (Kelly, 2012). I believe that there are certain situations the autopilot can not or should not handle, and when it comes to the human lives that may be on the plane I feel much more comfortable leaving it in the hands of human pilots. However, that’s not the main point here. The main point is, although I, too, distrust leaving everything in the hands of automation and robots, I can accept that society is heading in that direction. Whether or not pursuing this future is “ethical” does not matter, the way I see it. I don’t think ethics really come into it, as much as people love to argue back and forth over how ethical certain courses of action may be. Ethical or unethical, the robot takeover is coming. It’s cheaper, it’s more efficient, and it often produces higher quality products. These are all things that we value in today’s society, and those who don’t value those things are rarely in a position to affect the progress of computerized innovation. I think this future is just something we need to accept with as much of an open mind as possible.

TL; DR

Modern society is heading towards a robotic industrial revolution, and that’s just how it’s going to be. You can argue ethics until you’re blue in the face, but it’s just a fact that unless something catastrophic and borderline apocalyptic happens, the robots are coming. Embrace it.

Citations:

Kelly, K. (2012, December 24). Better than human: Why robots will – and must – take our jobs. Retrieved April 22, 2016, from http://www.wired.com/2012/12/ff-robots-will-take-our-jobs/

 

Online Relationships – Are They “Real?”

When it comes to online relationships, Sherry Turkle overlooks a huge part of where and how people are connecting. In her TEDtalk, Turkle talks a lot about, “sacrificing conversation for mere connection” through the use of technology (Turkle, 2012). While yes, I agree that there are many instances in which we need to “unplug,” that looking up from our phone to a face for a conversation is an important part of connecting with others, there are many times and many online friendships where that simply isn’t possible.

Anecdotal Evidence

Technology has provided people all over the world with connections that they simply did not have access to before. Sure, through texting, Facebook, and other such mediums we often connect with friends we have no difficulty seeing face-to-face, but through those same channels we also form and maintain relationships that we would have no opportunity to experience otherwise. Technology provides an option for bridge-building in relationships. When my sister hosted a German exchange student, technology helped them find common interests and build familiarity that otherwise they would have had to wait to experience. One of my best friends and I have a primarily text-based relationship, and by primarily I mean if you add up the times we’ve hung out in person, you’d get maybe a week total, out of the 5 years that we’ve been friends.

 

So… Is It Possible?

 

Many people say that developing a relationship through online channels that is as close and strong as a relationship developed through face-to-face contact is impossible, because no matter how close you get you could always have been closer if you had interacted face-to-face. I think that’s ridiculous, because while it’s possible it’s true (we have no way of knowing if a 100% online relationship could have been stronger if developed in person), we also have to accept that simply because we can speak with someone face-to-face does not mean we are going to develop a close friendship. If that were the case, we would all be completely overwhelmed with friends. I have in-person friendships that are stronger than online friendships, and I have online friendships that are stronger than in-person friendships. Where I met the person, online or offline, is not what determines the strength of our friendship. How well we get along and how well our personalities mesh does. Not to mention, one could argue that online friendships have the potential to be more long-lasting, because often in-person friendships fade away over time if face-to-face contact is lost, say through going to different colleges. However, an online relationship has no such limits, because where you are never impacted your communication.

 

TL;DR

 

Basically, I believe that it’s totally possible to build very close, strong relationships online. Many people feel a strong, close connection with a friend they met online, so who on Earth could believe they’re entitled to tell those people that what they’re feeling is impossible?

References:

Turkle, Sherry. (2012, February). Connected, but alone?[Video File].

https://www.ted.com/talks/sherry_turkle_alone_together?language=en#t-1163722