Week 3: Robotics + Art

The topic this week that I found most interesting was “robotics and art.” I am researching ethics in AI so last week I rewatched Terminator 2: Judgement Day. It is easy to see why a lot of people are afraid of AI technology and robotics. The robots in the movie have been invented by humans but they have taken over the world and are destroying humanity.

(Terminator 2: Judgement Day)

Walter Benjamin writes in his book, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, that “the destructiveness of war furnished proof that society has not been mature enough to incorporate technology as its organ” (Benjamin, p.6). I think violence and destruction were present before technologies existed. Ancient technologies such as slingshots and cannon did damage, too. Sure, older technologies are less devastating, but the positive effects of technology do increase alongside its destructive potential. Would Walter Benjamin have us abandon “technology as our organ” and lose our ability to make amazing discoveries like Nikola Tesla did when he discovered electricity?

(Week 3 Lecture Video, Part 2)

Benjamin goes on to say, “[c]ommunism responds by politicizing art” (Benjamin, p. 7) and this further explains why people find robots scary. Communist countries have less money to spend on new technologies so, unable to compete, they use art to send out scary images of the technologies produced by their wealthier enemies. As Victoria Vesna states in Part 2 of this week’s lecture, “it is interesting to pay attention to how culture informed even the imaging of robots” (Week 3 Lecture, Part 2).

(Week 3 Lecture Video, Part 2) 

Scary images aside, as explained by Professor Machiko Kusahara in this week’s video, Japanese robots have been created to help elderly people, to help rescue people, and other positive uses (Machiko Kusahara on Japanese robotics). We should continue to embrace technology and build robots like the one built by Freerk Wieringa in his project 22-10-2016 Android/Humanoid (Wieringa) so they can be used for good, while simultaneously working to improve our ethical value system in society so people won’t try to use our technologies for evil.

(22-10-2016 Android/Humanoid, by Freerk Wieringa)

 

Works Cited

Terminator 2: Judgement Day. Directed by James Cameron, Carolco Pictures, 1991.

Benjamin, W. (2023). The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction. Counterflow Distro.

Vesna, Victoria, Week 3 Lecture, Part 2. Accessed on April 18, 2024.

Vesna, Victoria. Professor Machiko Kushara on Japanese robotics. Accessed on April 18, 2024.

Wieringa, F. (n.d.). News. Freerk Wieringa. http://www.freerkwieringa.nl/ Accessed on April 18, 2024.


Comments

  1. Katherine McNamaraApril 21, 2024 at 9:04 PM

    Hi Laura! I loved your mention of Japanese robots being designed to help elderly people. With the conversation there is much to fear and critique, but there are many positives as well. I liked that you pointed out both in your post and showed both sides of the potential of robots.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sean VuApril 21, 2024 at 9:46 PM

    Hi Laura. I never thought about the negatives of robotics in society since most of the lecture material focused on the benefits. It was a nice change in perspective to evaluate the potential (fictional / non-fictional) downsides of what a technological advanced society reliant of robots in the future could look like. With that I agree with your critiques and perspective on robotics as a whole.

    ReplyDelete

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