The Evolution of Robotic Consciousness in Society and the Media: Part 2

Madeleine BonserPosted oninScientia Team ArticlesLeave a comment

My last article provided a clear evolution of robots in our society, from their introduction to the exciting prospects of today. In the final part of this series, I will be taking you through the journey of another type of robotic evolution – virtual evolution. By this I mean the way in which robots have been developed by various writers in the media. An important question that arises when comparing these two types of evolution is the scary accuracy of the writer’s imagination, as you will see the predictions in their media sources regularly reflect what has occurred in the actual evolution of robots years later. 

As mentioned in the last article the first appearance of robots in society was also the first appearance in the media, as they were introduced through the arts. This introduction was in the science fiction play R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots) written by Karel Čapek, a scene of which can be seen to the right in figure 1. By definition the robots described here are close to the modern idea of androids, such as Sophia seen in the last article. This shows true visionary in Čapek’s writing, as he not only introduced robots into society but also predicted where the advances in robotics would lead, up to an astonishing 100 years later. The fear of robots was also first introduced by Čapek, which has been a vastly exploited angle by the media ever since. The impact of Čapek’s work in the early 1920’s has continued to appear in popular culture; from the first robot Eric bearing the letters “R.U.R.” across its chest, to ‘Batman: The Animated Series’ (1992) featuring a car with “RUR” on the license plate, and more recently in the 2018 British history drama ‘Agatha and the Truth of Murder’ in which Agatha is seen reading R.U.R.. 

Another major influence in robotic science fiction writing was Jack Williamson. He wrote a novelette in 1947 called ‘With Folded Hands’. Which featured a similar theme to Čapek’s of robots taking over humanity. It includes robots called “Mechanicals” which are unthinking and perform menial tasks and “Humanoids” whose sole purpose is “to serve and obey and guard men from harm”. The Humanoids essentially take over every aspect of human life, again instilling fear of robots. In a 1991 interview, Williamson revealed that this story “grew out of a feeling that some of the technological creations we have developed with the best intentions might have disastrous consequences in the long run”, the idea of which is still relevant today. Moreover, the Mechanicals in this book predict something of reality in today’s society as they very closely mimic the robots now in everyday use by us, such as robotic vacuum cleaners. As the robots in our society today match those predicted by these books, may the fears of human extinction by robots also be true one day?

‘Real Humans’ is a 2012 Swedish science fiction drama set in an alternative near-future where consumer-level humanoid robot workers and servants are widespread. This series features humanoid robot workers, seen as the women in blue in figure 2, much like the ones in Williamsons book, but in an android form. It follows the trials of a group of robots who have attained free will and want their freedom from human ownership, making it much like the works of Čapek and Williamson minus the ominous eventuality.

Real Humans new approach of enticing the public to sympathise with the robots, rather than painting them as menacing creatures who are a threat to us, was followed with a British remake in 2015 named Humans (click link to watch!), the advertisement of which is seen to the right in figure 3. Following the same storyline, a group of now conscious robotic slaves yearn for their freedom from places such as the home and brothels. Again, the approach of this media allows us to empathise with the robots; their almost identical physical appearance to us and their mimicking personalities make this easy to do. In contrast to Čapek and Williamson fearful portrayal of a future with robots, could the evolution of robots actually lead to a peaceful want of freedom, rather than a revolt and could suggest that one day we will be at one with robots, living indistinguishably among each other? 

One of the most thought-provoking robotic science fiction films to date is Ex Machina. The storyline involved a genius coder/scientist living off the grid and secretly creating advanced AI robots. The film’s main focus is the question of the machine’s consciousness and involves the Turing test. A character called Caleb is brought in under the impression he would be giving the Turing test but in reality, he was just there as a pawn in a double-blind study to prove the AI of the android, AVA. The real test was by giving AVA one way out to be free; “to escape she would have to use self-awareness, imagination, manipulation, sexuality and empathy”, which she was capable of doing, proving her as a true conscious AI. This 2015 film reflects the near future possibilities of robotic evolution, with the android versions of robots in this film mirroring the robots such as Sophia that we see in society today. Just five years after Ex Machina was released the robotics technology is becoming more of a reality in our society; with the ever-growing speed of our progression in robotics, could the possibility of full AI consciousness seen in this film be a thing of the near future? 

A popular player in modern day science fiction and prediction media is the series Black Mirror on Netflix. Black Mirror examines modern society, particularly the unanticipated consequences of new technologies. One episode of the new 2019 series features celebrity Miley Cyrus (Ashley O), whose mind is “digitally copied” into a robot doll so her creatively restrictive management team can exploit her. This episode highlights the possibilities of robotics within a modern-day environment with the presence of celebrities and social media, making it all the more relatable to society today, and to younger viewers. Although not included in the timeline, in Japan robots are currently being made that resemble the Ashely O doll in this episode to help with loneliness in the elderly population. They do not possess a celebrity’s consciousness, but the technology of a robot able to hold a conversation and be a companion to a human is the same concept as addressed in this episode. Demonstrating that real life technology in our society is becoming somewhat that of the unimaginable proposed by Black Mirror. 

After answering one question around this topic, another one instantly arises. In my opinion the technology of what we are currently creating is catching up with the far-fetched ideas of the media. In the near future we are very likely to see a fully capable machine that either completely mimics or possesses human consciousness and is indistinguishable from humankind. What would this mean for our race? This is the difficult question, one that no one can truly answer. Should we be scared of this day or embrace it? Let me know what you think in the comments section below. 

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