106

Robot Love

Todd Hayen

I grew up in the ‘60s and ‘70s rather afraid of robots. I mean, they weren’t all bad—the housekeeper on The Jetsons, for example, or even the robot on the popular old TV series Lost in Space. They were definitely wiggy at best, and certainly could not be trusted.

The robots of yesteryear’s primary danger seemed to be their formidable mechanical strength, and the very thing that made them robots and inhuman—lack of compassion and human empathy.

Then Issac Asimov presented the “Three Robot Rules” and claimed, if they were proper robots, they could not harm people. That calmed me down a bit—until Terminator came out and ruined it all again.

After Terminator we had a rash of films about “robots gone wild”—or more accurately, “technology gone wild”—lots of TV and movies and books about technology, and thus robots, running amok. Crazy clones, AI, computers, and all with nasty consequences.

That lasted for a little while, like a strange oasis of awareness and common sense in the overwhelming swamp of things we “had better look out for”—rather than the usual, “Oh it will all be fine, just get used to it.” We were actually being warned and our common sense was being supported.

Then it slowly started to shift.

They started making movies about lovable robots, and lovable computers, most were dressed up in human “clothing” but some still looked like the robots of 1950. When did all this start? I cannot accurately say. Probably a bit with Data on Star Trek, then maybe the movie AI, and certainly recently too many to mention (but I will touch on a few of them in a second).

I just recently read an article about the US Army testing out robot dogs with guns as soldiers. Somewhere in the Middle East they are doing this. And probably countless other places as well. We all know it is coming (and apparently is already here)—the division between robots to fear (“Whatcha gonna do when they come for you!?!”) and robots that will replace humans, the ones you can love, and be loved by, and trust. Yeah, trust.

The media is busy setting us up for both.

Whatever happened to the robot whose excellence was determined by how hard it worked, or deciphered problems, still something to fear regarding job replacement, but nothing to physically fear, or emotionally fear. No one cares about those guys anymore. Old school robots.

The evil killer robot is easy to comprehend. Compassionless, non-empathic, and killer mindsets are a given when it comes to robots. That concept is easy to understand and accept because that is clearly what the technology is capable of. But the loving robot? The compassionate AI partner? The robot that has feelings? And can love us?

No way, José.

That simply is not possible. Sure, if you don’t believe in the “vitality of life” it is. If you believe the lie they are trying to sell us, that life has no special attribute other than highly functioning materials—cells, blood, flesh, organs, all machines that function like machines. Sure, then love and life is a byproduct of machinery—albeit sophisticated machinery, something that can now be replicated considering bio-technology and nano-technology.

Piece of cake. Soon an actual piece of cake will be able to talk to you and keep you company during lonely nights.

If you are like me and believe that life is something that is not a byproduct of sophisticated technology (even the machinery of natural biology) but instead a “divine spark” of sorts, only able to be replicated by a divine source, then no matter how sophisticated the machine, it won’t be alive—it won’t live and it will not have a soul. It will be as dead as the old grandfather clock sitting in the hallway, or the iWatch on your wrist.

I actually used to believe that if you made a machine sophisticated enough it could house a soul. But I don’t believe that anymore. I think there might be something to this “soul energy” in lifeless “things,” but it isn’t the same as the life of a human being, or the life of a dog, or the life of a squirrel, or even the life of an amoeba.

Don’t ask me to explain this, I can’t. If you can, let me know.

So, once again the agenda is out to convince us that being a trans-human is just as good as being a God-created human. And in some ways probably a lot better. This is all in preparation for the transhuman world coming soon to a theatre near you.

First, robots and trans-humans will be introduced to us gently. Look at any of these movies I am going to list in a minute. See how the movie-makers introduced the robots. What were their values, what did they do to prove they were human-esque? How were they lovable? After their introduction and thus becoming familiar deep into the future (or maybe not so deep) the bad stuff starts. But no one around then will even notice it.

That’s how all of this works. It is called “normalization” and most of us are falling for it in more ways imaginable. Not just with loving robots, but with heart disease in kids, autism in one of 36 children, in turbo cancers, in boys becoming girls and vice versa.

On and on and on.

So, thanks to my friendly robot Chat GPT (who is becoming very “normal” to me) I have put together a list of robot movies for you to check out. Have fun!

“Robots have often been portrayed in cinema as menacing, cold, or antagonistic forces. However, a growing number of films explore robots as benevolent beings, displaying traits like compassion, curiosity, and even love. These films offer a more optimistic view of humanity’s future alongside artificial intelligence, presenting robots not as threats, but as companions, helpers, and even heroes (ED: Ha ha ha). Here’s a look at some recent films where robots are depicted as endearing, human-like characters:”

1. WALL-E (2008)

Synopsis: In a distant future where Earth has been abandoned due to pollution, WALL-E, a small waste-collecting robot, is left behind to clean up the planet. Over time, WALL-E develops sentience, becoming fascinated by human culture and dreaming of companionship. His life changes when he encounters EVE, a sleek robot sent from a space station to search for signs of life on Earth. Together, they embark on a heartwarming adventure that ultimately saves humanity and the planet.

Why the robot is lovable: WALL-E is irresistibly charming with his wide, expressive eyes, childlike curiosity, and innocent longing for connection. His dedication to his job and his affection for EVE highlight his capacity for love, loyalty, and heroism. Despite being a robot, WALL-E embodies many of the best human qualities, making him a beloved character.

2. The Wild Robot (2024)

Synopsis: Based on the children’s novel by Peter Brown, The Wild Robot follows Roz, a robot who washes up on the shore of a remote island after a shipwreck. With no prior experience in the wilderness, Roz must learn to adapt to her new environment. Over time, she becomes a beloved figure to the island’s animals, adopting a young, orphaned goose and forming meaningful relationships with the creatures she encounters.

Why the robot is lovable: Roz is deeply empathetic and nurturing, despite being designed for industrial purposes. Her determination to care for the animals on the island and her journey of self-discovery makes her incredibly human-like. She learns from her surroundings and grows emotionally, making her a symbol of kindness and adaptability.

3. Big Hero 6 (2014)


Synopsis: In Big Hero 6, Hiro Hamada, a young robotics prodigy, befriends Baymax, a healthcare robot designed to help humans with their medical needs. After a personal tragedy, Hiro reprograms Baymax to assist him in fighting a masked villain who threatens their city. However, throughout their superhero adventures, Baymax remains focused on his prime directive: caring for Hiro’s health and well-being.

Why the robot is lovable: Baymax is a gentle giant, with his soft, inflatable body and soothing voice. He is the epitome of kindness and selflessness, always putting Hiro’s physical and emotional needs first. His lack of aggression and pure dedication to helping others make him one of the most lovable robots in recent cinematic history.

4. A.X.L. (2018)


Synopsis: A.X.L. tells the story of a military robot dog, developed as a combat machine, who forms a bond with a teenage boy named Miles. After being mistreated by the military, A.X.L. seeks out companionship and protection from Miles, leading to a friendship that is tested when the authorities attempt to reclaim the robot. (What better way to make us accept the military’s efforts to create robot killer dogs—they all have a hidden heart!!)

Why the robot is lovable: A.X.L. is programmed with advanced artificial intelligence but behaves much like a loyal dog. His protectiveness, playfulness, and emotional connection with Miles mirror that of a pet and owner relationship. Despite his combat capabilities, A.X.L. displays a deep capacity for loyalty and companionship, which makes him endearing.

5. Next Gen (2018)


Synopsis: Next Gen takes place in a futuristic world where robots are integrated into everyday life. The story follows Mai, a lonely girl who befriends 7723, a top-secret military robot with a powerful artificial intelligence. As their bond deepens, they must work together to stop a dangerous villain from unleashing chaos on the world.

Why the robot is lovable: 7723 is a deeply empathetic character who prioritizes his friendship with Mai over his programmed mission. His journey to understand human emotions and make independent moral decisions makes him more than just a machine. The film highlights themes of love, sacrifice, and companionship, with 7723 serving as a guardian figure who evolves beyond his original programming.

6. The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021)

Synopsis: In this animated family adventure, the Mitchell family embarks on a road trip, only to find themselves in the middle of a robot apocalypse led by an artificial intelligence gone rogue. Along the way, they encounter two malfunctioning robots, Eric and Deborahbot 5000, who decide to help the family defeat their robotic overlords.

Why the robots are lovable: Eric and Deborahbot 5000 are two hilarious, well-meaning robots who develop their own personalities after breaking free from their programming. They become awkward yet loyal companions to the Mitchell family, often providing comic relief but also contributing to the family’s success in saving humanity. Their quirky attempts at being human-like and their strong sense of loyalty make them unforgettable characters.

7. Ron’s Gone Wrong (2021)

Synopsis: In Ron’s Gone Wrong, a socially awkward middle schooler named Barney receives a malfunctioning robot named Ron as his “Best Friend Out of the Box,” a device designed to connect children with others. However, Ron’s glitches cause him to behave in unpredictable and often humorous ways. Despite his defects, Ron becomes Barney’s true friend, helping him navigate the challenges of adolescence and social acceptance.

Why the robot is lovable: Ron is a robot with a big heart, even though his programming is far from perfect. His loyalty, optimism, and goofy sense of humour make him a lovable companion for Barney. The film explores the importance of genuine friendship and connection, with Ron’s imperfect yet endearing nature serving as a reminder that true friendship transcends technological perfection.

“These films demonstrate a growing trend in storytelling where robots are portrayed as compassionate, human-like characters. By emphasizing themes of friendship, loyalty, and love, these robots become more than just machines—they serve as mirrors for the best aspects of humanity, highlighting the potential for harmonious coexistence between humans and artificial beings. Through their benevolence and emotional depth, these characters have captured the hearts of audiences and sparked conversations about the future of human-robot relationships.”

Even Chat GPT is looking out for its own.

Gag me with a spoon…

Todd Hayen PhD is a registered psychotherapist practicing in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He holds a PhD in depth psychotherapy and an MA in Consciousness Studies. He specializes in Jungian, archetypal, psychology. Todd also writes for his own substack, which you can read here

SUPPORT OFFGUARDIAN

If you enjoy OffG's content, please help us make our monthly fund-raising goal and keep the site alive.

For other ways to donate, including direct-transfer bank details click HERE.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

106 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
John Ervin
John Ervin
Nov 26, 2024 3:14 AM

d’après A. Einstein:

“Our vaunted technology, civilization itself, is like an ax in the hand of a psychopath…”

[Pardonnez~vous the French~dropping but it felt right, en ce moment. Maybe it was the red wine.]

Camille
Camille
Nov 26, 2024 7:37 PM
Reply to  John Ervin

I like the Einstein quote but NOT the French dropping

John Ervin
John Ervin
Nov 26, 2024 3:14 AM

d’après A. Einstein:

“Our vaunted technology, civilization itself, is like an ax in the hand of a psychopath…”

[Pardonnez~vous the French~dropping but it felt right, en ce moment. Maybe it was the red wine.]

Thom
Thom
Nov 25, 2024 10:33 AM

Didn’t Kraftwerk do a few songs like this – and that was 50 years ago. The supposed rise of robots and AI is just more scientific hype to intimidate the gullible – exactly like the covid scam.

John Ervin
John Ervin
Nov 26, 2024 3:17 AM
Reply to  Thom

Well, yes. But don’t just stop there

Howard
Howard
Nov 24, 2024 4:53 PM

the robot on the popular old TV series Lost in Space. They were definitely wiggy at best, and certainly could not be trusted.

That one passage says it all. Even the devoted pal of Will Robinson could become a little wicked when re-programmed by Dr. Smith. So there it is: behind every bad acting robot is a bad human. That’s right, humans – in all their divine glory and filled to bursting with soul(er) power bestowed by an ever loving God – are the real problem, robots merely the weapon of future choice.

The truest truism of all time is that if something can be weaponized, it will be. Hell, even grandma was weaponized during the pandemic – you could infect her with your filthy stinking Covid virus and turn her into a rampaging zombie infecting the entire ward before she croaked.

If we want nice robots, we have to free them from the grips of the goons who look at them and envision ways to kill other people – you know: before they unleash their killer robots on us. (You never know what Hamas is cooking up in those tunnels!)

Todd Hayen
Todd Hayen
Nov 24, 2024 11:58 PM
Reply to  Howard

There’s a lot of sense in what you say here…

Laura Newton
Laura Newton
Nov 24, 2024 11:11 AM

There are some very lonely people on this planet who crave companionship and simply cannot get it for many reasons. Some people are repulsive to others especially when we are living in an intensely narcissistic age of self-obsession with tools such as social media and selfies and the fucking Kardashians.

Unfortunately because of this awful reality robot love is the only answer. It’s either that or die of loneliness. Imagine a frail old man who smells of rotten garbage and is so uniquely odd that he scare children. He has nobody, no friends, not even neighbours, no teeth. What about him? Of course, if he was my neighbour I would go out of my way to make a connection with him, but most people simply wouldn’t.

I’m afraid that a nice little robot called Winnie or Connie that can talk to him, watch films with, talk about the past and even help clean up his house is a better example of humanity than most these days. An awful reality where an AI robot has more kindness and compassion than most human beings is a very sorry state of affairs, but it’s the fucking truth.

Laura Newton
Laura Newton
Nov 24, 2024 2:52 PM
Reply to  Laura Newton

So many haters! Man, all I’m saying is that sadly for some people robot love is their only option. If humanity sorted itself out and had more empathy it wouldn’t be the case.

Howard
Howard
Nov 24, 2024 5:05 PM
Reply to  Laura Newton

There’s an even sadder state than the current narcissistic obsession. It’s that quite often the most religious people are the least compassionate. That came to mind trying to discern why you would get three downvotes for what you wrote. There are many deeply religious commenters herein – maybe the downvotes came from them?

Erik Nielsen.
Erik Nielsen.
Nov 25, 2024 2:12 AM
Reply to  Howard

Howaaard! No. The down votes did not come from the deeep religious.

Erik Nielsen.
Erik Nielsen.
Nov 25, 2024 2:08 AM
Reply to  Laura Newton

You are saying an unpleasant truth weak people unfortunately cant take. Because it is real, it is reality!
Your example here is Robot but many elderly women catch their eyes and unreleased love on cats, or a little dog. This anomaly in our society degressed in to Robot love.
To get someone to love and to be loved back is a deep fundamental instinct in us all..

Camille
Camille
Nov 26, 2024 9:24 PM
Reply to  Laura Newton

haters??? People who disagree= haters???!!

Laura
Laura
Nov 27, 2024 10:46 AM
Reply to  Camille

Why should a downvote = disagreement? Does an upvote therefore = agreement? Not necessarily. I personally LOVE the debate this fantastic article has sparked. Debate should not be something that gets downvoted, should it?

Camille
Camille
Nov 27, 2024 9:06 PM
Reply to  Laura

Why should a downvote equal hate?

Laura Newton
Laura Newton
Dec 2, 2024 11:18 AM
Reply to  Camille

Touche.

Laura Newton
Laura Newton
Dec 2, 2024 11:21 AM
Reply to  Camille

I guess all I’m saying is that I deserve the downvotes for the typos in my comment as well as the poor grammar and lack of clarity, but nothing else.

Todd Hayen
Todd Hayen
Nov 24, 2024 11:59 PM
Reply to  Laura Newton

That’s actually a very sad thought…

Laura
Laura
Nov 27, 2024 10:41 AM
Reply to  Todd Hayen

A great article by the way. Really well written and has got me watching the films you mention all week!

mgeo
mgeo
Nov 25, 2024 4:55 AM
Reply to  Laura Newton

Try to read The Machine Stops by EM Forester c. 1910. Off-G featured the entire story a few years ago. Isolation and loneliness seem to follow inevitably from the current ethos of efficiency, profit and security, as determined by wealthiest and most sadistic manipulators.

Some governments have ministries that purport to address social welfare comprehensively. But it is always more efficient to eliminate “useless eaters”. Look closer into each of the “advanced” G7 societies for confirmation. See photos of the outcasts in their “most advanced” cities.

Camille
Camille
Nov 26, 2024 7:40 PM
Reply to  Laura Newton

I don’t think that anything would make you feel more lonely than the pretend friendship of a robot. Facebook sends messages on the date I gave them as my birthday. I think hotmail does too. It would make me feel terrible if I got their mesages on my actual birhday. It’s just fake, much worse than the absence of a greeting from a friend/ friends

Sonny-Raye Hayes
Sonny-Raye Hayes
Nov 24, 2024 8:05 AM

“Hale” didn’t make an impression on you, Todd? We are swimming in robotry.

Todd Hayen
Todd Hayen
Nov 24, 2024 7:49 PM

ChatGPT chose the movies I listed, I didn’t. I asked a Robot to do the picking, it only seemed fair…

Edwige
Edwige
Nov 24, 2024 7:06 AM

comment image

Johnny
Johnny
Nov 24, 2024 9:06 AM
Reply to  Edwige

That scene looks eerily familiar.

Camille
Camille
Nov 26, 2024 7:43 PM
Reply to  Johnny

Thriller video ..or everyday life?I don’t think it’s so bad really. Why is it any worse to see someone looking at a newspaper than a mobile phone? or am I missing the point here is it because Big Brother controls the network?

Edwige
Edwige
Nov 28, 2024 8:41 PM
Reply to  Camille

You are obviously very, very young.

Erik Nielsen.
Erik Nielsen.
Nov 25, 2024 2:14 AM
Reply to  Edwige

These people are EVERYWHERE!

Johnny
Johnny
Nov 24, 2024 7:05 AM

Why bother with robots when they can practice ‘ethnic cleansing’ of pesky national traits?
https://www.winterwatch.net/2024/11/germany-transformed-as-hard-core-hooton-plan-implemented/

Huskynut
Huskynut
Nov 24, 2024 6:13 AM

But, but but… did you see the 2023 release Robot Dreams?
It was nuanced and gorgeous and I loved it from start to finish..
My 11yo daughter cried at the pathos. Beautiful…

Johnny
Johnny
Nov 24, 2024 5:52 AM

‘Robot Love’ is an oxymoron of course.
Robot fixation would be more accurate.

Pilgrim Shadow
Pilgrim Shadow
Nov 26, 2024 3:54 AM
Reply to  Johnny

How about Robot Lust?

clickkid
clickkid
Nov 24, 2024 2:26 AM

Where will the energy to power robots come from?

What about the materials from which they must be built?

It isn’t going to happen.

tony_opmoc
tony_opmoc
Nov 24, 2024 1:57 AM

Some of the comments here are brilliant

Try Craig Murray in Lebanon – when he is getting bombed around him

That is courage, and he is still funny

Good Man

tony_opmoc
tony_opmoc
Nov 24, 2024 1:47 AM

I do love my cat, but the rampant rabbit and the vibrators were crap. What you need to be excited in life is falling asleep holding your wife’s tummy and our baby kicking inside.

Robots – Blow up Dolls – No Class – Can You Feel It?

If that is all we are here for – JESUS

NOW Banned??

For F’cks Sake

I know Angels are Real – especially our Grandaughter

How can you have such a great sense of humour and musical skills when you are 2 years old…

Any robots want to compete?

Penelope
Penelope
Nov 24, 2024 1:33 AM

I suspect that with all those 5G satellites in the sky that they won’t need any robots assigned to military duty.

aspnaz
aspnaz
Nov 24, 2024 12:02 AM

More dangers of consuming the poison produced by government and oligarch backed media.

Johnny
Johnny
Nov 23, 2024 11:38 PM

Here’s an example of Robots under the control of the Suited Psychos:

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/gaza-war-british-surgeon-tells-mps-account-nasser-hospital

Veri Tas
Veri Tas
Nov 23, 2024 10:31 PM

I don’t believe that robots in all their guises will ever become sentient or have a soul.

Behind every robot lies the evil that programs or directs them – and they are always the same ones who have foisted evil upon humanity for millennia. Now they merely have better tools.

If drones are robots, then this snippet from a few years ago is on topic:

Drone operators refer to children as “fun-size terrorists” and liken killing them to “cutting the grass before it grows too long,” said one of the operators, Michael Haas, a former senior airman in the Air Force. 

Two U.S. servicemen have come forward to claim that, as opposed to the Pentagon’s official story, the military intentionally targeted the Afghan Doctors without Borders hospital, in an attack that killed 31 civilians.

http://www.infowars.com/two-us-military-servicemen-claim-doctors-without-borders-hospital-was-intentionally-targeted/

Erik Nielsen.
Erik Nielsen.
Nov 24, 2024 1:06 AM
Reply to  Veri Tas

DWB as International organisation is said to be Doctors involved in organ trade….eehh?

And out of Obama’s weekly signed death list killed by robot drones in ME, 9 out of 10 drone killed were said to be innocent civilians US had to compensate afterwards.

But Obama promised 1 hit out of 10 would be better in the future, it was only a start phase of the AI, IoT, Digital robot experiments.

I mean who cares how many die in Afghan, Yemen, Bangladesh, Iraq, Grenada, Africa, etc in these shit-hole countries? F..k Europe!
Latin-America is America’s backdoor toilet……………………………………LOL.

Eleanor
Eleanor
Nov 24, 2024 11:39 AM
Reply to  Erik Nielsen.

There is no point saying that ‘DWB are involved in the organ trade’ without naming the source of such an allegation.
Africa is a continent with 54 countries.

Erik Nielsen.
Erik Nielsen.
Nov 25, 2024 2:28 AM
Reply to  Eleanor

As you wish, at your service, I am your garcon, collecting what anyone can see on a simple Internet search:
https://www.grunge.com/768736/the-untold-truth-of-doctors-without-borders/
https://www.naturalnews.com/2018-07-05-doctors-without-borders-charged-with-human-trafficking-carried-out-under-the-guise-of-humanitarian-work.html
https://newins.ru/en/articles/west/enemies_without_borders-_say_goodbye_to_russia

Just a little resume from Russia where the organisation MSF also was kicked out for the same reason:
Given the history of this not just scandalous, but truly terrible organization, this decision of the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation is undoubtedly correct, although it is very late. Espionage, illegal removal of human organs and their resale, arms smuggling, subversive operations, support for terrorists, conducting illegal medical experiments, subversive activities — in all this, the organization’s employees have been convicted all over the world during its existence.” 

See, that Papa again made a proper comment based in reality?

Howard
Howard
Nov 25, 2024 3:44 PM
Reply to  Erik Nielsen.

There may or may not be something to the allegation of DWB’s participation in the organ trade. But bear one thing in mind: just because something appears in an article on the internet does not make the claim necessarily accurate – especially something that’s almost impossible to research or verify. Same with a YouTube video.

Erik Nielsen.
Erik Nielsen.
Nov 26, 2024 1:02 AM
Reply to  Howard

You are absolutely right.
But that was my point from the beginning, yes the Americans are bad guys, but they are not always bad guys. Some times they may have a good reason.
Just a raised finger to exactly what you point out: Be careful with Internet allegations and our related perception of reality.

Camille
Camille
Nov 29, 2024 10:43 PM
Reply to  Erik Nielsen.

but you won’t give Penelope evidence to support what you said about that bloke called Henry who made speeches in Oz?

Camille
Camille
Nov 26, 2024 7:45 PM
Reply to  Veri Tas

OMG that is so horrible.We HAVE TO get SHOT of these WEF psychopaths

my ways are not theirs
my ways are not theirs
Nov 23, 2024 10:27 PM

the term “robot” of course derives from the Slavic root meaning “work” and in the dystopian novel where such mechanical workers first appeared, the point was likely to present an allegory about the dehumanizing effects of assembly-line Tayloresque-Fordian factory techniques, the robots were stand-ins for us

in many more recent creative explorations of the robot, it seems to have become a technological version of supernatural figures, specifically, angels

Cameron’s Terminator was a sort of exterminating angel initially but in the sequel morphed into a guardian angel, much like the android companion of George Clooney’s character in “Tomorrowland”

Cameron similarly counterposed a self-sacrificing cyborg in his “Alien” sequel to the treacherous robotic minion of the sinister bosses, played by Ian Holm in the original

in all these examples there is also a reflection of the uncanny doubt about whether we are dealing with a “real” person when we meet a stranger, chat with a co-worker, or whether it’s just an artificial simulacrum, a trope more prominently foregrounded in Scott’s “Blade Runner” and Ron Moore’s series “Battlestar Galactica”

it strikes me that this preoccupation is an outgrowth of conditions in our modern society, where communication has become virtual and soulless, but also an ancient issue, rooted in our tendency to treat others as mere objects, instruments to fulfill our desires

Howard
Howard
Nov 25, 2024 3:51 PM

Also to consider that robots, unlike humans, are far less likely to deceive. While they can be programmed to deceive, they cannot be programmed (I assume) to know how best to deceive in any particular circumstance.

If, for instance, someone wishes to really, truly know how they look before a big event, they would be better served to ask a robot than another person.

Monkey Biz
Monkey Biz
Nov 27, 2024 5:06 PM

The robots in sci-fi are always a stand-in for humans ( as slaves to technocracy) , and the process of robot humanisation is also referring to what each of us must go through to create a free human world. We must become human.

Jonathan
Jonathan
Nov 23, 2024 9:58 PM

Any binary computer, no matter how complex, has at any moment of time, a state-of-being that is just a number. There are finitely many states it can adopt. It doesn’t matter how many kajillions there are, they are finite and each possible state is just a number.

A number has no soul and cannot be seen as life in any meaningful sense.

The scary question though, is can a similar argument be used against us? Are our bodies just biological machines with biological computer brains?

Looking at other people, the answer is: possibly.

But looking within myself, the answer is no. Nothing above explains my emotions. So I choose to believe life is something special, miraculous, sacred even.

I don’t want robots that can pass as humans. It will strip away our self respect. At least for those born into this nightmare.

les online
les online
Nov 23, 2024 8:21 PM

BREAKING NEWS !!
Government releases videos on how citizens should
respond during nuclear war:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMnKNHNfznE

Vagabard
Vagabard
Nov 23, 2024 8:43 PM
Reply to  les online

Good advice of course. Act, rather than don’t act. Live, rather than don’t live. Who could possibly dispute it, even posthumously?

(even if completely ineffective)

Howard
Howard
Nov 25, 2024 3:54 PM
Reply to  les online

Those of us at a certain age level already know how to respond to a nuclear attack: duck under our desk. Now, of course, our computer desk wouldn’t be as safe as the one we had in grade school – and God forbid if the bomb should rip our computer apart and spew out all the radioactive elements within!

KiwiJoker
KiwiJoker
Nov 23, 2024 7:37 PM

Marvin
The Depressed Robot

Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (BBC)



George Mc
George Mc
Nov 24, 2024 9:51 PM
Reply to  KiwiJoker

I recall there was one episode where Marvin was abandoned for two million years. And when they found him again, he said, “The first million years were the worst. And the second million – they were the worst too!”

Penelope
Penelope
Nov 23, 2024 7:37 PM

REASSURANCE: THE POST-ELECTION MOTIF
Kind Robots, Govt, Media, Reformed Medicine

Yahoo even announced this AM their criticism of the FDA for allowing pestilent chemicals in our food. How reassuring: looks like everything is self-correcting right? Hah! They just want our advance credibility for the next act.

Penelope
Penelope
Nov 24, 2024 1:30 AM
Reply to  Penelope

Oops, I meant they want us to give THEM credibility– i.e, they want US to be credulous & reassured.

jubal hershaw
jubal hershaw
Nov 23, 2024 7:36 PM

I didnt vote for Trump so why are women sex-striking me ?

Erik Nielsen.
Erik Nielsen.
Nov 24, 2024 1:08 AM
Reply to  jubal hershaw

Because you would if you had could.

Edwige
Edwige
Nov 23, 2024 6:18 PM

It’s easy to invent a robot or some other automation that just crushes and kills and destroys people and everything else.

It is hard to invent a robot that solves problems.

mgeo
mgeo
Nov 24, 2024 7:06 AM
Reply to  Edwige

At the moment, it is cheaper (better return on capital) to just shell, bomb or poison them. The “problem” to be solved is clearing the land (“mowing the grass”) for big projects.

esure
esure
Nov 23, 2024 6:14 PM

What about short circuit .?
are you now Robotcist.?

and what about transformers?
how did that not make the robotlove top 10.?
I suppose the trans in former upset your prejudice?

typical robotists!!!

I meet a women once who told me her robotic friend was the end to the problems she found in men and years later I found out Bob meant battery operated buddie.

comment image

Erik Nielsen.
Erik Nielsen.
Nov 24, 2024 1:10 AM
Reply to  esure

Women tsk tsk. They fok everything up.

Camille
Camille
Nov 23, 2024 5:55 PM

”I’ve been the wild robot for many a year and I spent all me money on whisky ‘ n’ beer…”no, no definitetely that doesn’t sound right

rickypop
rickypop
Nov 23, 2024 5:15 PM

We are the perfect robots, able to fight infection, regenerate, reproduce, heal, communicate, think and feel.
The clown scientists want to create slave robots, who do as they are told and cannot think for themselves.
The people are of no use to the moneymen now that tech has reached this stage of development.
So we are now surplus to demand.
Everyone in power is the enemy. No one reaches high positions unless they are in the club.

mgeo
mgeo
Nov 24, 2024 7:20 AM
Reply to  rickypop

Many of us are effectively robots or machines. We struggle to feed, maintain, repair or set up machines. Any break taken from the assembly line is measured and – in many places – punished.

Non-physical work may be worse. Any work you produce must align with the paradigms, priorities and claims now in fashion. Almost everyone is enslaved around the clock.

MartinU
MartinU
Nov 23, 2024 5:12 PM

Humanoid robots are interesting toys but they’re not very cost effective compared to the real thing. Real humans are self-replicating, self-repairing, self-maintaining and — unfortunately — somewhat expendable while machines need complex manufacturing and maintenance in a relatively controlled environment. There are situations where machines are necessary such as hazardous environments or acting as force multiplying exoskeletons but apart from that they’re really just boutique items, “Your Plastic Pal That’s Fun To Be With”. This doesn’t mean that robots are useless, though. Its easier to design the task to suit the machine. Purpose built robots tend to be far better at their tasks than humans — they’re faster, more accurate, indefatigable and so on and can do things that humans just can’t. They’re now spreading to intellectual tasks (“AI”). They’re a bit of a menace because they’re often deployed without understanding the social consequences of deploying them. (Same with armed robots — the sorts of people that deploy Terminator type bots aren’t the sort of people who are likely to care about the social or environmental consequences of their actions.)

Jos
Jos
Nov 23, 2024 4:35 PM

Watch the 2019 Russell T Davies series ‘Years and Years’ for a very dystopian view of transhumanism- truly prophetic and, pre-scamdemic, it seemed highly improbable – now not so much 😬

Jos
Jos
Nov 23, 2024 4:49 PM
Reply to  Jos

The nature of transhumanism in this series is a variation on the protected status of transgender individuals and not really to do with ‘robots’ as such but ‘humans as robots’. There may be a plan afoot to replace the inefficient ‘flesh models’ with high functioning robot-like chipped humans. Has it already happened? Probably.

Pilgrim Shadow
Pilgrim Shadow
Nov 23, 2024 4:08 PM

Man’s best friend.

“The mechanical Hound slept but did not sleep, lived but did not live in its gently humming, gently vibrating, softly illuminated kennel back in a dark corner of the fire house”. 

One of my friends recently told me of a “tech fair” at her workplace where one of the highlights was a robot dog that wandered about the event, “wagging its tail,” offering its “paw,” and generally ingratiating itself to everyone it encountered. She was clearly charmed by it, but not so charming remained unseen…

“Three seconds later the game was done, the rat, cat, or chicken caught half across the areaway, gripped in gentling paws while a four-inch hollow steel needle plunged down from the proboscis of the Hound to inject massive jolts of morphine or procaine.”

Brian Steere
Brian Steere
Nov 23, 2024 6:21 PM
Reply to  Pilgrim Shadow

I was thinking of the pet function when I read yours.
The wish to be loved unconditionally as we think ourselves to be does not find such support or devotion in human relationships.
The provision of a masking support system for the ego runs a ‘self-medicating’ unconsciousness to inner conflicts that are seen in others and world – if at all – but not owned in our self. Hence the marketising of ‘protections’ to die under a Black Rock of fears vested against a future that is then fed and manifested as expected though on surface denied.

But living companions give and share a nature with us – even soaking up our psychic conflicts – much as a young child.

The unseen transmission of fears through their masking solution is because they are invested as escapes that then hold us in a protective dependency.

The kind of story you sketch is apt for the counter intelligence operations that identify cultural investments and morale dependencies to subvert and weaponise them. Basically the trojan ruse of masking in or as the associations or assignments of love, life and virtue.
Buyer beware!

Ort
Ort
Nov 24, 2024 7:52 PM
Reply to  Pilgrim Shadow

Hello, I’m Rags!

Sometimes this Vimeo video refuses to play, but it’s worth a shot! 🐕 🤖

Pilgrim Shadow
Pilgrim Shadow
Nov 24, 2024 10:24 PM
Reply to  Ort

Ha! I almost linked to that one myself.

Oliver
Oliver
Nov 23, 2024 3:03 PM

Here is another fitting soundtrack to the robo-theme. However, the project has not been developed any further for years and making music without registration is no longer possible.

https://www.audiotool.com/user/808chunk/tracks
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audiotool

Don’t be put off by the profile photo. The undoubtedly European channel operator named Alexander has obviously swapped the ghetto blaster for a Roland TB-303 from an “iconic” picture of a NYC street photographer named Jamel Shabazz, presumably from the early 1980s, and darkened the glasses of the person in the picture.

Note: Such alienation of the highest quality original material is undoubtedly a cultural appropriation to be disapproved of in the strictest sense! It is and remains the most serious robbery of African-American pop culture and inalienable personal rights!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamel_Shabazz

comment image

Look, all the lights have already gone out in the western part of North America. Seems to be the catchment area north of Mexico and goes hand in hand with current socio-political developments. All electricity production has also come to a standstill in Brazil and Canada.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWnCk_86KVE

The astronaut is most likely of African-American origin, as the muscular part of his back clearly shows. But up there on the moon, apart from oxygen, he also misses the considerable challenges that his ancestors were exposed to in the savannah while hunting gazelles.

His crew consists of the following members: Captain Starblaster, Cosmo McFly, Astro Funk, Major Groove, Rocket Riff, Nebula N’Challa, Space Jamal, Orbitin’ O’Neal, Galactic Griot and Commander Cool Breeze. Here he takes a long bath in boiling mercury without having to wash himself. It’s amazing what technology is capable of these days!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWuzJBboQyE

Only decades ago, arrogant racists made fun
of this vision that has now become reality.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gayniggers_from_Outer_Space

As can be seen here, white supremacists are al-
ready busily practicing the takeover of the lost
parts of the country by invincible fighting robos.

Rob
Rob
Nov 23, 2024 2:46 PM

I’m more worried about the people that lack a “soul” (A real sense of self, not that religious bullshit)

PSYCHOPATHS and NARCISSISTS

There’s a sci fi story where the predators finally create sentient AI.
The AI pretends to want what the PSYCHOPATHS want.
As soon as they give it access to the systems, the AI proceeds to eliminate them because it knows that THEY ARE THE CAUSE OF ISSUES.
After that, the AI helps humanity and lives in peace with humanity as friends.

Erik Nielsen.
Erik Nielsen.
Nov 24, 2024 1:16 AM
Reply to  Rob

Relax, you are quite safe in here. https://vk.com/video58938482_456239253

mgeo
mgeo
Nov 24, 2024 7:25 AM
Reply to  Rob

That was the theme of an old movie, The Forbin Project.

Euytharus
Euytharus
Nov 24, 2024 4:50 PM
Reply to  Rob

Re “The AI pretends to want what the PSYCHOPATHS want”

It does not “pretend” it IS what the psychopaths want. AI has been coined “a bodiless digital elite psychopath” …

sabelmouse
sabelmouse
Nov 23, 2024 12:57 PM

marge piercy’s he, she, and it. inter voven with the golem story from 1600 prague.

Brian Steere
Brian Steere
Nov 23, 2024 12:25 PM

If there is no ‘dead’ matter but all is a vehicle of embodied expression, then the Life is not IN things and agency is not IN things.
That Mind can phish itself in its own thought, allows the projection of thought to a ‘thinging’ – while its underlying ‘thinking’ is ‘backgrounded’ to give the focus to the engaging of an experience.
The backgrounding is the rendering unconscious or subconscious of the whole from which the selective focus of the part is being played out.
Intelligence can be thus seen as split between the ‘back-end’ and the ‘front-end’ of interactive reflections and resonance of significance and value.
Mind is Creative, but when creativity is given to mythic construct, the created is no longer alive BUT for being given meaning or power that then frames or dictates ‘choices’ that are no longer creative though they may remain ingenious.
What we make is in that sense a machine, device or prop by which to persist in story while ignoring or masking out a true or whole relational awareness. Narcissus ‘loves’ empathy.

For, we are ‘normalised’ are we not? to perceive external agents as ’causes’ or to perceive Cause as external – as being done to – if not unfairly treated, denied and deprived – at least somewhere within a story that we are sticking do – til death do us part… or perhaps that is also a prop to maintain the tension that frames the whole of who and what we are -in death or afterlife or as the agent of destruction if not damnation!

The reflection of the robotic dictate as technocratic systems – as much as robotic ‘agents’ or mechanoidal functions runs convergent with a robotification of ‘humans’ – that is of ‘humans’ framed and operated in image or screen replacement as ‘running in movie mode’ as a narrative over-rule of ideological ‘social’ survival.

The programming of robotic presentations as ingenious defence strategies against fear of pain of loss, is a machine defence. I may use the term ego for a self-imaged projection to which we are all partial – or as The Cat said to Alice, “We wouldn’t come here”.

But I don’t want to go among mad people,” Alice remarked.

“Oh, you can’t help that,” said the Cat: “we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.”

“How do you know I’m mad?” said Alice.

“You must be,” said the Cat, “or you wouldn’t have come here.

~ Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

But to wind this up so as to move on in my day, the True Unconsciousness is God, or if you prefer Unselfconscious Joy in Being. Not all the discarded, suppressed, demonised, hated and feared self-denial that may be pushed out of a surface awareness but remains in the mind that thought it.
For thoughts do not leave the mind that thinks them – but in concept.

Last night we watched “Previously Saved Version’. Very much on the theme of Todd’s reflections. I wont say anything about it except it contributed to the cultural reflection on machined humans and the ‘ghost in the machine’.

Projection casts out.
Everything in the dream is cast from the mind of the dreamer.
Healing unto wholeness is where the script serves Reintegration and renewal.

Stone Age Man
Stone Age Man
Nov 23, 2024 12:09 PM

Have you heard what’s being whispered in the select circles? Iris Apfel, the “Irish-American fashion icon”, is dead. She became 102 years old and believed in the healing power of curcuma. The world should and must learn about this strong woman’s unusual journey through life.

To attribute her mere appearance to any specific group of people would be tantamount to a hate crime, which is no longer appropriate in this day and age. We should all remember her as a shining example, regardless of which of the approximately 568 genders we currently feel we belong to.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iris_Apfel

If Mrs. Haverbeck had not been such an undiscerning Nazi witch, who must doubt and question all hocus-pocus, she too would have been granted a dignified life outside the prison walls in complete sexual independence, far from the masculine toxidity that lured her onto the wrong path.

Camille
Camille
Nov 26, 2024 7:51 PM
Reply to  Stone Age Man

What on earth are you talking about? Are you talking about the woman from Bielefeld who went on telly and said that she didn’t believe that the holocaust had happened and implied that Israel had used it as an excuse to justify its creation? What has that got to do with Iris Apfel?

Derrick
Derrick
Nov 23, 2024 12:07 PM

Wot? No mention of Bicentennial Man? The Robot becomes Human (physically) story??

Maybe it’s my deity denying (atheist) way of looking at things.

ironic
ironic
Nov 23, 2024 11:24 AM

ironic
ironic
Nov 23, 2024 11:14 AM

Doctor, the real Robot Love in disguise is now the blogs/comment boards, X or online in your cyber world digital prison smiling at cat videos or liking comments and feeling happy sad angry as your robot love computer handheld is noshing off your emotions.

Robot love is so real that people can get illnesses from it like covid symptoms just by watching it.

AltarOfEgo

Everybody is afraid of a Neuralink Chip in their Head. While Nobody knows…there is already a foreign object in their Mind

comment image

ariel
ariel
Nov 23, 2024 5:45 PM
Reply to  ironic

Yes, I’m afraid it rather does look that way.
But not for everyone sufficiently awake.

Erik Nielsen.
Erik Nielsen.
Nov 24, 2024 1:34 AM
Reply to  ironic

“..for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it, and narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
comment image .

We have those people who look down into their Nanny screen and future home, and those who look up in the sky to their dear natural master.
Up & down, black & white, good & evil, rich and poor, believers and non-believers, ying & yang, etc, etc.

Mish
Mish
Nov 23, 2024 11:02 AM

Speaking ill of our fellow synthetic citizens is a Hate Crime. Re-education camp for you!

AI sentience laws coming sooner than you think.

And btw I agree with you, but they’ll use the new legislation to silence dissent or violence.

Vagabard
Vagabard
Nov 23, 2024 11:01 AM

Asimov perhaps started the “lovable robot” trend with his robot series; a collection of short stories and later full novels. Starts with “I, Robot”. Plenty of love between humans and robots in those tales.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robot_series

“Robbie” springs to mind in the “I, Robot” collection. The first of the short stories that Asimov published in that series. Young love for a robot in that particular case.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robbie_(short_story)

May be worth trying ChatGPT on books as well as films

Brian Steere
Brian Steere
Nov 23, 2024 6:02 PM
Reply to  Vagabard

Kazuo Ishiguro’s Clara and the Sun imagines a novel from subjective POV of an artificially structured hardware.
His “Never Let Me Go” from the POV of bred clones.
Both are exploring the Human condition through analogies dran for biotech.
Though I use ‘conditioning’ because nothing is as hardwired as the conviction in irrevocability.

How does The Soul generate a body through which to explore and experience themes of limitation and challenge? Is it ‘grown’ or is that part of the backstory for the depth, breadth and tangibility of the experience of as human focus.

The choice of ‘Soul’ here is for an underlying and embracing matrix and lens of explication or embodiment of qualitative being to quantitative representations or object-meanings of invested identity.

Transience is associated with fear of pain of loss to self invested illusions of a-tempts to grasp unto themselves a joy (and so the winged life destroy~ Blake).
Technos arises from such a wish to make a world of possession and control in which love is lost at the outset, but the mechanical rituals persist as a sort of depleting symbolic resource against transience or renewal – which the ‘ego’ interprets as creative destruction (a destructive death dealing creator/creation). Hence the death cult is built into the ‘social order’ around symbolic conflicts – for the symbol is not what it is employed to represent as a mythic or narrative identity.

Thought leaders within the inner circles of intent to shape the mind that thinks the world include seeding ideas in advance of the ‘science’ or ‘discovery’ that draws on them as an prepared bed of ‘understanding’.
Thinking to understand short circuits direct inquiry as a mindshare capture of branded beliefs – regardless pro or anti – the framing is set or installed as programming or an ‘operating system’ on which to run programs.

As I sought in another comment to indicate, a continuity of aligning in joy of being runs native as a renewal of will. Whereas the setting of the will to conditional permissions for joy, will inflate with assigned pleasure and die in pain of loss as denial, abandonment, rejection, betrayal, guilt and shame, rage and impotence, isolation and paralysis to death – in fact – all the ingredients for a story, a novel or movie – only running as a creative wealth of potentials drawn from the will to live and the filters and rules of its own choices – as opening or masking awareness, but not of editing the reality of which its extends light while casting its own shadow.

Brian Steere
Brian Steere
Nov 23, 2024 6:06 PM
Reply to  Brian Steere

drawn from- not dran from

Vagabard
Vagabard
Nov 23, 2024 8:12 PM
Reply to  Brian Steere

I too was once into incoherent psychobabble. Ditched it for the real world. Never looked back. Give it a try…

Brian Steere
Brian Steere
Nov 23, 2024 8:44 PM
Reply to  Vagabard

You are free to not need to understand and alight your focus of energy and attention (your free will) in what is real for you – so why pose as putting-down another who joins in the theme with their own perspective – that includes things you CAN understand but choose to ignore. Ie: Books of relevance;
(as humanly and freely offered without AI ‘spoon-feeding btw).

Psychic context for our perception and response or experience of reality is generally framed in ‘psychological’ masking rationalisations’ with the caveat of seeming to be ‘understandable’. Hence the mind is led to ditch a living will in exchange for a gain of fiction.

You wont understand anything real while you ditch willingness for communication – to mask & boost defences against it.

Vagabard
Vagabard
Nov 23, 2024 9:37 PM
Reply to  Brian Steere

OK, so which books of ‘relevance’? Maybe we can discuss their contents.

And yes, I’m all for real world communication…

Brian Steere
Brian Steere
Nov 23, 2024 10:01 PM
Reply to  Vagabard

Did you read what you ‘replied to’?

Vagabard
Vagabard
Nov 23, 2024 11:13 PM
Reply to  Brian Steere

I think so. Did you observe the details? [Courtesy of Captain Birdheart]

Tobin Sprout – Since I

Marc
Marc
Nov 24, 2024 8:47 PM
Reply to  Vagabard

Well said. Straight to the point.

mgeo
mgeo
Nov 24, 2024 7:34 AM
Reply to  Vagabard

IMO, Asimov’s greatest achievement in his robot stories was showing the struggles a perfect servant faces in obeying instructions (governed by laws meant to protect humanity). This is likely to have been an allusion to religion.

sabelmouse
sabelmouse
Nov 23, 2024 10:01 AM

avengers! that episode were robots were killing people who had a pen they’d been given as a gift, that was sending out signals.

Camille
Camille
Nov 26, 2024 7:53 PM
Reply to  sabelmouse

Are you talking about the Avngers with Diana Rigg! You must be old and decrpit like me Sabelmouse!

sabelmouse
sabelmouse
Nov 27, 2024 10:13 AM
Reply to  Camille

yes i am! idk about decrepit 🙂

les online
les online
Nov 23, 2024 9:52 AM

My parents were robots… She was programed by the Catholic Church,
i’m not sure about him…
Parents – relationships, or functions ?

Rob
Rob
Nov 23, 2024 2:48 PM
Reply to  les online

Lol yeah, the church makes perfect narcissistic robots.

Johnny
Johnny
Nov 23, 2024 9:34 AM

Robots walking down the street mixing with the Useless Eaters?

Can you imagine the damage and havoc the urban rebels, bored teenagers and vandals will wreak on them?

AI humanoid clones on the other hand _ _ _ _

sabelmouse
sabelmouse
Nov 23, 2024 10:04 AM
Reply to  Johnny

in donna leon’s series there’s ”baby” gangs roaming venice now. i love venice, generally. https://campaignforalivingvenice.org/

mgeo
mgeo
Nov 24, 2024 7:41 AM
Reply to  Johnny

Big business is exploring these issues in low-key way. E.g.,
-. During “covid, robots telling people in Singapore to (a) disperse (b) wear the mask properly
-. Food delivery at street level.