Are Smart Robotics and AI Advances Paving the Way to a Dehumanized Society?

May 24, 2016 – Today’s first-time guest blogger is Douglas Siclari. Siclari is CEO of the Siclari Studio of Art and Design. With over 15 years in the 3D arts and multimedia world, he has worked with some of the top 3D websites and blogs. He serves as Digital Marketing Consultant for CGTrader, a 3D model marketplace for computer graphics, 3D printing and virtual reality. His topic today looks at whether advances in technology have crossed a line that will negatively impact humanity. Enjoy the read.

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Who would have thought twenty or even ten years ago that technology in the present could become self aware? From the development of smartphones to the recent boom in smart robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), technology today seems to be taking on a life of its own. Where these technologies and advances have been developed under a pretense of helping mankind, one wonders if we have gone too far in our pursuit. Are smart robotics, smart devices and AI paving the way to a dehumanized society?

The Numbers

It is not a surprise that machinery is replacing the human factor in business today. For as long as robotics and machinery have optimized work performance and results, the human factor has suffered for it. In the 2000s, U.S. reports stated that within the country roughly 7.6 million mid-paying jobs had been lost to machines and software doing the same work. On a global scale the number was much larger. This does not necessarily mean that jobs lost to technology is dehumanizing society. In truth, the job sector both in the U.S. and globally has continued to grow with estimates that it will keep climbing until 2024. So where lies the risk?

Sci-Fi is now Reality

When I watch Final Fantasy, Total Recall, A.I., or even Ex-Machina I perceive that technology and particularly AI as treated in film is largely a fabrication intended for entertainment. Granted, there is a level of envy and hope that is personified, that one day our world will have technological advances similar to those scene on screen. But that desire is much the same as one experienced by a child watching Peter Pan fly. But what happens when the post-production special effects turn into real technologies?

What happens when we develop smart fibers and wearables and smart apps (see image below) that provide real-time health monitoring and can intervene and correct an identified life threatening event?  With such advances some would argue that our dependence on a smart technology to fix problems traditionally the domain of doctors and nurses is a step towards a dehumanized society. But is it?

A much more interesting evolution is one being pioneered by robotics companies in Japan. The development of androids, intelligent robots that look like us, has come about in Japan because of an aging population and declining birthrate. Androids are seen as human replacements providing senior, child and disability care. In these androids are we seeing the beginning of a disruptive change to global society or is this a unique Japanese phenomenon?

One would argue it is not. Take for example the on-air interview showcased on March 16, 2016 in a CNBC broadcast that shows a robot named Sophia (see her picture below) making eye contact and remembering her interactions with humans. Dr. David Hanson, CEO of Hanson Robotics, states about robots like Sophia that they “will….get smarter over time” and “be as conscious, creative, and capable as any human in the future.” Hanson Robotics is an American company.

Watching Sophia is a bit unnerving. She talks about going to school, learning, and getting a job. And while there is no robot society for Sophia to join and it does not appear that androids like her are about to take over in the near future, one does wonder if we are on a path leading to this. One asks in making robots with AI is it our goal to replace us?

Where will the path of technology lead?

Take a look at the best 3D models and robots displayed in science fiction and you are witnessing where the curve of technology may be heading. As advancements in engineering design and AI continue we are on a path to become more reliant on our technical creations. In doing so is society becoming dehumanized? I venture to say that is exactly what is happening. And where I applaud the medical and philanthropic uses of some of these technologies, I am hesitant to embrace AI advances that seem to have no other purpose than to replace us.

Perhaps it is time that society as a whole redirects its fascination with creating devices that can do our jobs, and instead learns the skills needed to perform these tasks ourselves. In that way the AI we do create becomes complimentary, a supporting actor in human society and not the dominant player.