Humanity’s First Experience: Humanoid Robots and Us

*Ahmet DAĞ

“To you, a robot is a robot. Gears and metal. Electricity and positrons. Mind and iron! Human-made! If necessary, human-destroyed. But you haven’t worked with them, so you don’t know them. They’re a cleaner, better breed than we are.” Asimov

Mythical ideas are directly related with the power of human imagination. Human is a creature who imagines. The peak of this imagination is myths. As a matter of fact, myths exist in old and great civilizations, nations and societies (Turkish, Chinese, Egyptian, Roman, Scandinavian). In Greek mythology, there are the stories of God of blacksmith Hephaestus, Daedalus’ wooden cow and the depictions of Chimaera and hybrid creatures. In Turkish mythology, “unhuman” or “humanoid” creature is depicted in the story of  “Tepegoz (Cyclops)”. In similar vein, according to Chinese mythology, Yan Shi presented to King Mu of Zhou a life-sized automaton in other words a robot 3000 years ago. Additionally, a legendary Hellenistic figure Hermes Trismegistus claimed that – referring to the divine animated statues – humans managed to recreate animating statues that have senses and souls by exploring the true nature of God.

It cannot be suggested that there is no equivalence for this kind of mythic thought and stories in ancient cultures. For it has been told that Archytas of Taras who lived in the 4th century BC designed a bird-shaped flying device by applying the rules of mathematics into mechanics. It has been stated that the cybernetic devices invented by physicist and mechanical engineer Ismail al-Jazari who lived in 12th century AD are the first robotics. In short, robotic beings are not independent from human mind and imagination.

The word robot was first introduced by Czech playwright Karel Čapek in his play entitled “R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) in 1920. The robot designed and depicted by Čapek does not have bionic, prosthetic or silicone attachments but has a mechanic and automat look. After this play, many other science fiction novels and movies included narratives about robots. Movies until the 1980s have depictions of mechanic and automatic robots. It is hard to state that this type of mechanic and automatic robots appeared and took place in our daily lives after these novels and movies.

Humanoid robots that are different from automatic and mechanic robots consist of bionic and prosthetic parts as well as artificial intelligence, cybernetics, nanotechnological, robotic technical and technological parts. The first humanoid/ anthropomorphic robot Wabot-1 was produced in Japan in 1972. After the 1980s, thinking robotics has become the subject of movies, notably Robocop (1987). Even though the automatic and mechanic robots described before did not appear in our daily lives, humanoid and android robots are more apparent in our lives. This is because they are far from being automatic and mechanic and have a human shape. Although mechanic robots are nonexistent in our lives, it seems like the existence of humanoid robots is inevitable. Thus, we will encounter a thinking form.

Entities such as humanoid robots have the ability of consciousness, thinking without the sense of self (perception, judgment, comparison, decision-making etc.) and getting into action. We can accept this -cyber- form that has “thoughts” and “will” to certain extent as a new type of entity. Since being designs of a different technology which incorporates artificial intelligence into life through different applications, “humanoid” and “android” robotics can exist in every aspect of life. These humanoid robots can work like a human and use tools. They can modify the environment in a faster and more improved way than humans. Humanoid robots can design and produce the tools that were designed and used by humans cheaper and with a more delicate workmanship.

The most important reason which explains why these humanoid robots will be more effective in human life than the others is the personification of humanoid robots, in other words, their joining in the society as a new human. Meanwhile, the human form of the robots might make humans behave towards robots as one of them or think robots as a rival. The fact that robots can work, sit o at a table, chitchat and have fun like human might create a feeling of similarity in humans. This type of feeling and attitude might lead to taking humanoid robots as friends or sexual partners. As a matter of fact, a robot named “Robovie” which has improved vision and sound sensors in order to communicate with humans, behaves and has mimics and gestures like human is recently developed. Society will have a new structure and shape in which humans are robots’ partners or rivals.

Robots are rapidly entering into social human environment. This is a never seen before situation. This situation also presents certain technical moral and legal challenges. The appearance of humanoid robots in the areas of service, education, health, law and military will lead to social and ethical relations between robots and humans. Accordingly this is called human-robot interaction (HRI). This interaction should be handled with the collective effort of robotics researchers, designers, engineers, production managers, marketing staff, academicians and nations. Taking robots as workers or adopting and marrying with robots will inevitably cause living together with them or being neighbors.

Those who study on artificial intelligence and humanoid robots claim that these entities will be more practical and better i.e. righteous than humans. The end of human autonomy might also end the respectability of humans’ existence dynamics. Robotic entities’ involvement in human life might create problems among humans about freedoms and rights. Still, the issues such as the protection of humans’ privacy against robots and the security problems are important issues that need to be discussed. In fact, this discussion appears in Steven Spielberg’s movie “A.I. Artificial Intelligence” which is inspired from C. Collodi’s famous work “Pinocchio”. In the movie, the interaction between humanoid/ anthropomorphic looking and behaving robots which are “mechas” and “orgas” in other words humans is socially and ethically discussed. This futuristic film carries out a comparison between a normal “orga” kid and a robotic “mecha” kid. In the movie, it is implied that “mecha” kid is more compassionate and virtuous than “orga” kid. The movie’s script tells the difference being a humanoid “mecha” and a human “orga”, put it differently, what is “real” and what is “mythical”.

Asimov coined the laws about human-robot interaction (HRI) years ago in 1942 as such:

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws.

It has been 80 years since the proposition of the abovementioned laws. Since then, robotics industry has developed both in quantity and in quality. These laws are not enough for the existent robot technology. For instance, the robot “Optimus” introduced by E. Musk in 2021 has changed significantly in such a short amount of time as two years. Humanoid robots will have more social influence and their appearance will be more prevalent as they improve both in quantity and in quality. This prevalence might make robots open to abuse by humans who are prone to sexuality and violence. This might lead to changes that are against both robots and humans. There might be violations against existential grounds of humans including privacy and security.

The risks and problems that might occur in human-robot and robot-human interactions can be given as:

1. How much respect the robotic entities would have for humans’ emotional characters and their privacies and what kind of right to “live” humans would give to robotics
2. What the position of physically and psychologically delicate humans would be against physically cognitively and psychologically –possibly- stronger robots; that is to say, incapacitation and enslavement of humans against robots
3. The uncertainty of how much transparency the design of artificial intelligence applications and robotic entities which has human organs will entail and the risks that it includes
4. Unforeseen attitudes and behaviors by robotic entities (negative attitudes and behaviors such as killing its own kind or the adoptive master)
5. The credentials, psychological and mental states of people who will produce and/or design robotic entities or the criminal intentions or leverage of companies that will involve in the process
6. Following the “transparency” and “restriction” rules while producing and designing the hardware and software of robotic entities
7. The setbacks that might occur because of the malfunction of humanoid robots which can think and have will to act or the interrelational problems
8. It is not enough for designers to be only engineers, they are also required to be informed about social structure, ethical values and legal norms
9. Taking into not only human-robot relations but also robot-robot relations into account while designing robotic entities
10. Because the Western thought which built to robotic entities has a “Eurocentric”, “Eurocentric/racist”, “patriarchal/sexist” structure, the possibility of humanoids having the same judgments like seeing non-westerners as “unacceptable” or “unequal”
11. Taking into regard of the possibility of AI-powered humanoids or androids being a kind of Pandora’s box
12. Consideration of the problems that might arise in case of AI-powered humanoids or androids gain consciousness as we already passed the Turing test of “Can machines think?”

Conclusion

It is not utopic for the humanoid robotic entities that are depicted in comic books, novels and movies to touch humans and human life and live on earth. As huge global companies such as Honda, Amazon, Baston Dynamics, Sony, Tesla, Hanson are on the brink of mass production of humanoid robots. It is just a matter of time until Sofia, Ameca, Saya, Rashmi, Enon, Walker, Topio, Atlas, Optimus, Asimo and Kirobo (male-female, child-adult humanoid robots) walk amongst us. Animals and humans will not be the only beings that walk on Earth from now on. Humanoid robots will also walk, work, talk and have fun.

For the first time, humanity will experience living with an entity which resembles to humans and their minds and has similar habits to humans. A good preparation is required before facing such an intense experience. Moral, legal, safety and health issues that might arise between human-humanoid and robot-robot relations should be thoroughly thought upon and humanity should be prepared for this new interesting order and should not be caught unprepared. Otherwise, we can encounter situations that we might not overcome.