Robots, Psychology, and War

Hi Roger - Was watching BBC World Television recently, and saw the story of Miss Saya, a substitute teacher for elementary school children in Japan. Both soldiers and schoolchildren are making attachments. I need to re-read "I, Robot" again at some point - it's been a lot of years now. Thanks for your article. :) - Larry

I've never read "I, Robot". I should read it sometime.

just rent the movie.

The movie hasn't much relation to the book as it is based on the book meaning, change will be made to make it cool but looses the main focus behind the story

Here, here - great post!

We should have anticipated this.

I looked at the drone scenario and worried about the "emotional distance" involved too, but failed to anticipate the "my lil buddy" aspect of a robot.

Roger - one more thing - there also was the 1973 movie that was on my mind big-time while at Disneyworld a couple months back: "Westworld". Yul Brynner was the coolest cowboy-robot ever to walk the streets! Several actors in this movie formed emotional attachments with robots. Thanks for letting me share again - great topic. - Larry

i can only offer thisme white t shirt..1st lgb sortie from Da Nang..gun camera guys / film cassette..same a/c ≥ a month after being " relieved " as it's cc.

And Obi-Wan always said I was weird for treating R2-D2 like he is my younger brother ...... .

But we have always had an attachment to machinery

Do you have a name for your car, do you say "Hello car" or "Hello <name>" when you get to it, or get in. and curse at it when you do something wrong, or it doesn't do as you want it to do?

So, why is a Robot so different?

So what will the future bring T-800's or Bolo's( Keith Laumer)

Clearly the behaviors are a variant of the 'Stockholm Syndrome'.

OR

it's because when the troops checkout the robots from the tool crib they either bring it back unbroken or they must reimburse the $856,000-$53,000,000 cost of that puppy.

Anybody else remember the Bill Mauldin cartoon of the GI about to shoot the Jeep with the broken axle, turning his head away as if it were his cavalry horse?

Yes, humans develop psychological bonds with their tools and machines. No matter how precise our manufacturing, each individual tool and machine is slightly different. We humans seem to extrapolate those differences into a personality. An unreliable, hard to start vehicle might be "that miserable old bitch" while an easy to operate and reliable one might be "a real sweetheart."

Strange, yes, but what it does is forge a bond between operator and machine, craftsman and tool, warrior and blade. The two become one smoothly integrated unit. And once you are completely trained on a particular machine, and know all its faults and strengths by feel, of course you will risk your life to save it.

I won't go into a long discussion of Asimov's three laws of robotics, advanced AIs, etc.- but I will say that once we have military AIs, they will be programmed to eat up all that stuff about promotions, purple hearts, etc. World War IV will be interesting with Japanese battlemechs and war robots, US Bolos, powered armor, unmanned submarines and fighters, etc.

(some) Esoteric books mention that every object has a conscious of some sorts, and it seems on a quantum level the observer seems to influence the object, so who knows treating your tools (or robot) nicely will have effect on his performance

"World War IV will be interesting with..."

Sure, as long as we are just sitting watching it on the telly! I don't want to die, no matter how cool the means.

Spoiled countries and commercial conglomerates can throw machines at each other rather than men as cannon fodder, what a concept