Week 3: Art and Robotics           

Technological advancement has put humanity in position to destroy the world if we misuse our inventions. Nuclear weapons can intentionally destroy us while carbon emissions can cause global warming that will slowly and unintentionally put an end to human society as we know it. Our fear of the consequences of our technological achievements can be seen in the depiction of robots in books and movies.

Science fiction is filled with stories of robots turning against their creators ("Do We Need Asimov's Laws?"). Isaac Asimov was a science fiction writer that wrote extensively on robotics. He is often associated with the Laws of Robotics that he first created in his short story “Runaround” (“Why Asimov's Three Laws Of Robotics Can't Protect Us”). The Asimov's Laws of Robotics state that robots must not harm humans, obey humans, and ensure their own self-preservation, in that order of importance.

One of Asimov’s most famous stories was I, Robot, a story collection released in 1950 ("Isaac Asimov Biography."). The stories in this collection focused on the interactions between humans and robots when robots. Elements from this collection was later used in a 2004 movie also titled I, Robot which told the story of a futuristic society in which robots found a way to bypass the Laws of Robotics. This movie captured the fear that human invention can lead to our destruction.

Science fiction has also explored the moral implications of creating intelligent robots. As time goes on humans can program increasingly more complicated algorithms into machines ("Artificial Intelligence: How Algorithms Make Systems Smart."). This raises a few complicated questions. Will there be a point when humanity can create a robot with a “soul”? If humanity can do this, will humanity do this accidentally or on purpose? In 2012, game developer Quantic Dream released a tech demo for the PS3 ("Heavy Rain Developer Unleashes Short Film 'Kara'"). The demo was graphically impressive and it also had a story that addressed some of the implications of creating a robot with a “soul”. The demo, named "Kara" after the robot in it, focused on a personal assistant robot that accidentally develops a mind beyond what has been programmed into her, to the shock of the engineer running final checks on her. Stories like those told through "Kara" shows society’s struggle with the fact that sometime very soon, humanity might play God and start creating robots with a
“soul”.

Works Cited

Deangelis, Stephen F. "Artificial Intelligence: How Algorithms Make Systems Smart." Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <http://www.wired.com/2014/09/artificial-intelligence-algorithms-2/>.

"Do We Need Asimov's Laws?" Technology Review. MIT, 16 May 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <http://www.technologyreview.com/view/527336/do-we-need-asimovs-laws/>.

Dvorsky, George. "Why Asimov's Three Laws Of Robotics Can't Protect Us." Io9. N.p., 3 Mar. 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <http://io9.com/why-asimovs-three-laws-of-robotics-cant-protect-us-1553665410>.

"Heavy Rain Developer Unleashes Short Film 'Kara'" IGN, 7 Mar. 2012. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/03/07/heavy-rain-developer-unleashes-short-film-kara>.

"Isaac Asimov Biography." Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. <http://www.biography.com/people/isaac-asimov-9190737>.