Robots Need Love Too, With Proper Legal Representation

I want to thank Rich for finding this article, and I want to thank Hurray for Mollywood! for the perfect image.

Lets skip to the most interesting part of this article, when Anna Russel, author of the article "Blurring the love lines", warns that when robots are smart enough, they will want the same legal rights that humans have,

“While this humanoid is a giant leap forward technologically, if a self-aware, super-intelligent, thinking, feeling humanoid is developed, the legal system will be hard-pressed to distinguish this creature legally from human actors on grounds not stemming from a religious or moral prejudice.”

One of the biggest legal battles which might arise, according to Russel? Sexual rights. People can't decide what is morally correct now just between human beings, how much more complicated will the laws be when robots are thrown in the mix, especially when the robots will be able to voice their own opinions.

The article was thought provoking, but I'm not sure if we will be able to create a fully conscious robot. And if we can, will we be able to program it to feel emotions, such as love and animosity? If you want more information about this dilemma check out the science fiction soon to be turning documentary Bicentennial Man. 

I'm still giving kudos to Anna Russel for her foresight. She's just trying to avoid the Matrix becoming reality (because we all know the robots will win if we ever war with them).

Sometimes Robots Can Be Scary: A Link Round-Up!

The title says it all after I saw this in my regular Robot News. A robot which controls a robot army to explore new worlds? What kind of implications can be made about robots that command other robots? Soon they will be self-sufficient, I'll bet you on that.

And that is the day when we'll be completely boned. Speaking of robot-boning, this year was the Matrix's 10th Anniversary. I was unaware of this because the sequels ruined the franchise for me, but I caught the first film halfway through yesterday on G4's Movies That Don't Suck feature. It was good to see how well that movie withstood time, and comparatively how awful the other two movies still remain. 

G4's other feature, Attack of the Show, also announced a remake of Short Circuit, which isn't scary in the sense of robots wanting to rip you into pieces and use you as a battery (spoiler for the Matrix, even though it's been ten years since the movie came out, get with the times) but it is scary because movie producers nowadays love to destroy their precious intellectual properties in order to make a quick buck.

One last scary thing: this one doesn't have to deal with robots specifically, but instead technology. The late Chris Farley was used in a commercial for DirecTV. By having supporting actor David Spade break the fourth wall, this blog post asks whether is resurrects the late comedian into something macabre.

My vote? Creepy but fascinating. I think Chris Farley's passing was one of the most tragic of celebrity deaths, right up there with Bernie Mac.

Also, Happy Halloween (soon). Expect a post of some Halloween shenanigans (and the Max Brooks footage once I can edit the film).