Is This “Loveable” Creature a Trojan Horse for the Robot Apocalypse?
Filed under: Artificial Intelligence, Computers, Conspiracies, Robot Psychology, Robots, Science, Science Fiction, Technology, The Apocalypse, The Future
The robot is named Probo. He’s modeled after an imaginary alien creature with an elephant like trunk. Researchers designed Probo to study human-robot interaction. Probo is programmed to communicate and react to humans in a believable social manner. Probo can also imitate emotions. But, robot apocalypse watchdog groups think creations like Probo will act as a Trojan Horse for the mechanical armies they theorize we’ll face in the future.
“These robots are teaching us to let our guard down,” says Dr. Phil Tompkin, a scientist specializing in de-technolozation at the Institute For Simplicity (IFS). “We cannot allow this to happen. If we believe robots can be cuddly, emotional creatures, then we’re one step close to putting mankind in a position where these machines can stab us in the back. Once these AI systems reach a certain level of sophistication, they will lash out against us, their creators. Mark my word. We cannot teach our children to be comfortable around mechanical beings! It’s like teaching a 3-year-old that Scorpions are puppies.”
Whether or not Probo turns against us remains to be seen. All we know is that an army of Probos sounds like a terrifying thing. And why is he called Probo? Does it have something to do with his trunk? We shudder to consider the possibility.
Learn more about Probo here.