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A robot nanny might not be as good as the best humans, but it will be much better than the worst, and people don't like to expose their children to avoidable ri

by mrob 10y ago

A robot nanny might not be as good as the best humans, but it will be much better than the worst, and people don't like to expose their children to avoidable risk. It's like how I'll eat at McDonalds if I travel somewhere new instead of a possibly superior local restaurant. Consistent mediocrity can beat unreliable quality.

goodJobWalrus 10y ago
Have you ever heard of a Harlow Monkeys? Basically, even monkeys go insane when raised by a "robot" http://pages.uoregon.edu/adoption/studies/HarlowMLE.htm http://pages.uoregon.edu/adoption/studies/HarlowMLE.htm
- theoh 10y ago
  Maybe nanny is a bad example. I'd pay good money to get impartial therapy from an AI (guaranteed non-abusive) and then when it comes to solving the problems of humanity in general, a sufficiently smart AI seems like our best bet, on the basis that human nature is yet to be fully understood by humans after centuries of trying...
- mrob 10y ago
  Those aren't robots, they're inanimate objects. Animate robots are often treated like living beings: http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/artificial-intelligence/do-kids-care-if-their-robot-friend-gets-stuffed-into-a-closet http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/artificial-intel... http://www.newsweek.com/japans-robot-dogs-get-funerals-sony-looks-away-312192 http://www.newsweek.com/japans-robot-dogs-get-funerals-sony-...
metaxy2 10y ago
This seems worth dividing into a couple of concerns. One is: Can it provide an accurate enough simulation for the baby? I think we would definitely get there with advanced enough AI, since the level of sophistication needed for cuddling and interacting with babies is lower than, say, having an intelligent conversation. The other concern is that even if the simulation is good enough, there's still an ick factor to "tricking" a baby into forming an emotional connection with a machine that doesn't have real human feelings. If we build caretaker robots with software that closely models the internal function of human brains, to the point that we're satisfied that their outward behavior is accompanied by complex and human-like feelings of caring, that problem goes away too. Whether that's even possible is more of a philosophy of mind question; depends on whether you think internal experience depends on the exact nature of the physical substrate. (Of course if it is possible, there's yet another layer there with the ethical issues of designing a slave race of beings with real feelings, see e.g. Robin Hanson's ideas about "ems.")

by mrob 10y ago

goodJobWalrus 10y ago

Have you ever heard of a Harlow Monkeys? Basically, even monkeys go insane when raised by a "robot" http://pages.uoregon.edu/adoption/studies/HarlowMLE.htm http://pages.uoregon.edu/adoption/studies/HarlowMLE.htm

theoh 10y ago
Maybe nanny is a bad example. I'd pay good money to get impartial therapy from an AI (guaranteed non-abusive) and then when it comes to solving the problems of humanity in general, a sufficiently smart AI seems like our best bet, on the basis that human nature is yet to be fully understood by humans after centuries of trying...
mrob 10y ago
Those aren't robots, they're inanimate objects. Animate robots are often treated like living beings: http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/artificial-intelligence/do-kids-care-if-their-robot-friend-gets-stuffed-into-a-closet http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/artificial-intel... http://www.newsweek.com/japans-robot-dogs-get-funerals-sony-looks-away-312192 http://www.newsweek.com/japans-robot-dogs-get-funerals-sony-...

metaxy2 10y ago

This seems worth dividing into a couple of concerns. One is: Can it provide an accurate enough simulation for the baby? I think we would definitely get there with advanced enough AI, since the level of sophistication needed for cuddling and interacting with babies is lower than, say, having an intelligent conversation. The other concern is that even if the simulation is good enough, there's still an ick factor to "tricking" a baby into forming an emotional connection with a machine that doesn't have real human feelings. If we build caretaker robots with software that closely models the internal function of human brains, to the point that we're satisfied that their outward behavior is accompanied by complex and human-like feelings of caring, that problem goes away too. Whether that's even possible is more of a philosophy of mind question; depends on whether you think internal experience depends on the exact nature of the physical substrate. (Of course if it is possible, there's yet another layer there with the ethical issues of designing a slave race of beings with real feelings, see e.g. Robin Hanson's ideas about "ems.")