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Why are we afraid of the machine?
By ‘the machine’ I mean a robot in the broadest sense; a man made ‘device’ whether software or hardware or a combination thereof.
The word robot is often used to denote electro-mechanical devices as well as software only that automate human tasks. The word robot is derived from the Czech word ‘robota’, meaning forced labour. It appeared for the first time in a play, R.U.R., by Karel Capek in 1921. In the play the robots were manufactured by humans, however, they were mercilessly exploited by factory owners until the robots rose against them and destroyed humanity. A scenario replayed many times over and immortalised in Stanley Kubrick’s brilliant movie, ‘Space Odyssey 2001’, where a faceless robot/computer H.A.L. takes over and terminates the crew aboard the spaceship.
So much for calming us down and trusting the machines.
Fear, anxiety and unintended consequences
Today there are an estimated 3.5 million physical robots around the world according to the International Federation of Robotics. As far as we know none of them have revolted against their masters. There are billions of software robots running in all sorts of programs around the world. Again, they seem to do so in a relatively controlled manner. We…
