Download Date: 12 November 2015

Villasenor 1
Date: 12 November 2015
To: Professor Collins
From: Robert Villasenor
The Warm Embrace of an Artificial Creation
Picture a futuristic society where even the simplest household appliance or every day tool
had some basic form of computational hardware built in it. Now imagine that same scenario only
replace the tools with self-aware robots. This is the world’s inevitable future, no matter how
Hollywood frames the “distant future”. The purpose for writing my paper is to inform the world
about how imminent AI and cyborg/android technology is to the present. Smart phones in the
mass populous of every society has some programmed digital assistant or voiced protocol to read
its user. No matter how Hollywood frames the “distant future” that idea is actually much closer
than it previously appears. This probable future inches ever closer from each technological
advancement and beyond. The future of this society relies on the acceptance of the new beings
the cooperation between the artificial and the natural.
Within the book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep there is a clear disconnect
between humans and androids, that is to say androids are either used as a slave force or hunted
and “retired” for escaping their forced servitude. Although the clear discrimination exist
surviving animals are seen as above them, even with various points of the novel we see some
form of humanity within the androids, either through expression of art or real emotion. An
example of this is Luba Luft, with her of art of singing something even Rick, a bounty hunter of
androids, finds beautiful even to the point of infatuation with her. Humans can find some sort of
emotional attachment towards these artificial creatures. With the general example of nexus 6
androids, are able to nearly pass an empathy test.
Villasenor 2
Technophobes and skeptics will merely brush off the idea that this future is extremely
near, but I ask what in our current world does not have some form of computerized advancement.
Take for instance a soda fountain, a simple device that has now been programed with touch
screens and chip implanted cups to prevent over use or maybe even automated staplers that just
need to sense the paper. Even the wall that divides North and South Korea have automated
machine guns that are programmed to shoot anyone on sight without any human input. The
world is dangerously close to the cyborg and android age and is up to the inclusion and
assimilation of these beings into society as to avoid the dystopic world of the novel.
The clear problem of this world is the acceptance factor of the beings. Those who see a
bright future in this technology are open and willing accept the artificial siblings, but those who
are afraid and confused even feel threatened will only see the artificial programing and
machinery and not their potential. However, according to Human-Android Interaction in the
Near and Distant Future our android brethren will simply assimilate and generally be accepted
(432). There is still a chance at a redemptive future. It will be a slow process with eventual
android/cyborg rights movement, but through progressive thought and newer generations
revisiting previous philosophy, humanity will eventually reach a point where harmonious
relationship can be achieved. Within the article Robotics: Ethics of artificial intelligence
Professor Veloso has worked with human and robot cooperation “for the past three years we
have shared our laboratory and buildings with four collaborative robots, or CoBots, which we
developed.” (Veloso) Experiments are already being tested to see if it is possible and goes on to
state. “Although we have a way to go, I believe that the future will be a positive one if humans
and robots can help and complement each other.” (Veloso) Although there will be some
resistance and not every person will be a likeminded individual, it will be crucial first step.
Villasenor 3
Work Cited
Russell, Stuart, Sabine Hauert, Russ Altman, and Manuela Veloso. "Robotics: Ethics of Artificial
Intelligence." Nature, 521.7553 (2015): 415-418.
Dick, Philip K. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? N.p.: Random House Group, 1968. Print.
Roese, Neal J, and Eyal Amir. "Human—Android Interaction in the Near and Distant
Future." Perspectives on Psychological Science, 4.4 (2009): 429-434.