I don’t know if you know this, folks, but robots are both fascinating and terrifying as all heck. It’s a fact – there’s no denying their weird balance of creepy artificial detachment and utterly cool robotic mechanisms.
Artificial intelligence and robotics have come such a long way in the last decade that we should probs consider how the future is going to be shaped. Could they be sentient? Could they revolt? Could they conceivably run our lives down to the minute? Except, uh, here’s the thing with that last one: they kind of already do.
We’ve already gone so far as to bestow names onto our technological assistants (shoutout to Siri, Alexa, Cortana and Bixby), which is a big ol’ step towards the normalisation and anthropomorphisation of robots and AI in our lives.
It has begun.
So here’s a few tips on how to stay techy when it comes to robots and AI.
Take stock of what you’ve already got
Our worlds are already pretty populated with robotic technology – from self-driving cars through to the little machines that pick up bowling pins after you (once again) gutterball and fail to knock any down. That’s not even mentioning factories that have robots creating the products nowadays. It’s all pretty mundane, in a way. Second nature to us.
But you know, then we have companies like Boston Dynamics making huge headways in robotics by creating robot dogs that can open doors, climb stairs, and terrify me in the extreme. It’s cool as heck but there’s also something about them that unsettles you. Even if they remain subservient forever, you can count me out – and I LOVE dogs.
Take inspo from pop culture
Doctor Who, Terminator, Blade Runner, Her, The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy, The Matrix, Short Circuit, Star Wars, Westworld, Bicentennial Man and of course, I, Robot. It is abundantly clear that there’s no shortage of robot and AI content on our screens – and it’s not surprising. We absolutely eat up this hypothetical content.
But if you’re legit worried about robots and AI taking over, feel better by brushing up on sci-fi author Isaac Asimov‘s three laws of robotics:
- First Law: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
- Second Law: A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
- Third Law: A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.
Take a techy course or two
The easiest way to stay ahead of the curve and know all there is to know about robotics and artificial intelligence is to actually study it. If you’re obsessed with the inner machinations and ethical dilemmas that come along with advancement in this area, you might wanna check out Queensland University of Technology (QUT).
You’ll be able to get your head around all the concepts and ensure that your career is future (and robot) proof, no matter how far we go with technology. Plus, having that level of tech-know-how on your resume would be a treat for any potential employer, no matter the industry.
So look, even though everyone jokes about robots taking over the world, the reality is that we’ve got a while yet before we really need to start enforcing some Asimov. Best to stay on top of things regardless, though.
Siri is wise, but you’re wiser.
