Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto

~Note: Ranger has been on the road the past couple of days.
We are back in the saddle again.
Below is a Friday frippary.~

Domo arigato, Mr. Roboto, domo...domo
Thank you very much, Mr. Roboto
For doing the jobs that nobody wants to
--Mr. Roboto, Styx

You can look inside another world
You get to talk to a pretty girl
She's everything you dream about

(But don't fall in love)
If you do you'll find out
She don't love you
She's one in a million girl
--She's a Beauty, the Tubes
__________

Last month Slate reported on the U.S. military's funding of a project to integrate human with artificial intelligence, as humans excel in visual recognition, where computers process the information better. "A prototype helmet already delivers a visual readout for combat commanders showing the cognitive patterns of individual Soldiers" (Cyborg Soldiers: war, networked helmets, and "augmented cognition.)

Author William Saleten identifies the project buzzwords as "real-time cognitive state assessment," "networked soldiers," "Augmented Cognition," and "human-computer warfighting integral." His translation: "We're fielding cyborgs. Human Nature's prediction: The next step will be to remove the human component from the battle field and let machines provide the sensor mobility as well as the information processing."

Then I came across a bit by Artificial Intelligence researcher David Levy on his new book, "Love + Sex With Robots," in which he postulates "we will be legally marrying robots someday." Silly me -- and I thought we were already doing that (Romancing the Robot.)

By the turn of the next century, Levy envisions companion robots which "[sit] in the corner in your house waiting for you to decide what you'd like to do next... instead of out living a life of its own. In this time frame anyway, robots will be there when we need them, as we need them."

Says Levy, whose PhD thesis was, "Intimate Relationships with Artificial Partners" (I'm certain I've already had that), "I don't think the difference between robots and humans will be any more than the difference between people who live in Maine and people who live in the bayou of Louisiana." Of course, for anyone involved in the red state/blue state rift, one understands that never the twain shall meet.

Levy also hypothesizes that humans will have sexual relationships with robots, perhaps within five years -- sooner than most might think. But building that kind of robot will be much simpler than building a robot that could be a good human companion, though.

Levy said the biggest advancement in robotics will come in the form of enabling a robot to carry on an interesting conversation, have self-awareness and emotional capabilities. (A Robot Bride by 2050.)

Levy estimated that robots will be able to have interesting conversations -- not yet at the level of a college graduate but enjoyable -- within 15 years. In 20 or 30 years, however, he expects them to carry on sophisticated conversations.

However, I get the distinct impression that for many, this capability would only be a drawback to the purpose at hand.

--Lisa