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For many people a dog is there to be a warm cuddly friend who is excited to see you and loves you. It’s a personal relationship. A robot that does exactly what
by pshc 5y ago
For many people a dog is there to be a warm cuddly friend who is excited to see you and loves you. It’s a personal relationship. A robot that does exactly what you program it to do doesn’t hit the same notes.
- hobofan 5y ago> A robot that does exactly what you program it to do doesn’t hit the same notes. Out of all animals, the one that most closely fits the bill of "does exactly what you tell it to do" is dogs, and I would argue that's exactly why it's so popular.
- pshc 5y agoThat’s true, but I’m not sure if obedience is the primary reason for their popularity? I would argue it’s primarily out of love. There are probably a small minority of dog owners who do it solely for the utility, or just to exercise dominance over another animal. Beats me, I’m a cat person. A robocat would be pointless.
- tailspin2019 5y agoI wonder where the line is though, where a sufficiently advanced simulation of this behaviour would actually be enough for some people.
- throwaway675309 5y agoOne could make the case that the carefully cultivated selective breeding of wolves into domesticated dogs over several millennia was just the evolutionary equivalent of digital programming.
- pshc 5y agoOh no, you're right! Humanity is monstrous. Maybe we should start putting the wolf back into the dogs.