Tuesday 27 September 2022

Thinking activity - Why are we so scared of Robots/Als?


Hello, I am Himanshi Parmar, student of MK Bhavnagar University. This blog i have written as a response to Thinking Activity, Which is a Part of my academic Work. Which we get after each unit. In this blog, i am going to discuss about why people always so scared of Robots and Als, with the reference of some short films. Read teacher's blog and watch films there. (Click) .

What is Robot?

According to Oxford Dictionary Robot Means (especially in science fiction) a machine resembling a human being and able to replicate certain human movements and functions automatically.

A robot is a type of automated machine that can execute specific tasks with little or no human intervention and with speed and precision.

What is Als?

According to Oxford Dictionary Als is a disease affecting motor neurons of the spinal cord, which causes progressive weakness and atrophy of muscles.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as “Lou Gehrig disease,” is a neurodegenerative disease of the motor neurons.


Origin of Robot

Term 'Robot' was drawn from an old Church Slavonic word, robota. That mean “servitude,” “forced labor” or “drudgery.” The word also had it's roots in German, Russian, Polish and Czech, was a product of the central European system of serfdom by which a tenant’s rent was paid for in forced labor or service. The modern meaning of the word ‘robot’ has its origins in a 1920 play by Czech writer Karel Capek.The play, titled R. U. R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots), begins in a factory which manufactures artificial people, the ‘universal robots’ of the play’s title. In literature, the term used in Mary Shelley’s classic book 'Frankenstein ; The modern Prometheus', and the Yiddish-Czech legend The Golem.


Why people are so scared of Robots?

Any digital equipment is dangerous one or another way. But with robotic colleagues, the fear of this danger emerges differently. Moto of making Robots is to help people. But when we look around the digital world we find that people are more afraid of robotics instead of being relax. And this fear is not just limited to people's mind but one or another way it is coming in our movies, literature, social Medias. This all platforms are generally known as mirror of society, So that are reflecting the fear of Robots or AIS that people has in their mind. Here is some shortfilms where robots playing role of antagonist and had been Enemied. Watch this shortfilms here.






If we see this short films we find that, in the beginning it is showing how human rely on Robots, also how Robots are carrying and helping humans. and at the end how due to technical issues or other reasons robots destroy their life, harm humans. The moral of all this short films is 'Robots / ALS are not trustworthy. Fear of robots are known as 'Robophobia'. There are many reasons that people are scared of robots. For example, when one human working with another human, they have mutual understanding, they are aware of each others mood, behavior, action - reaction, but while working with robots, we have lack of mutual understanding.it make us unnerved.even if robots has safety system, we have no surety of safety. we subconsciously fret that this isn’t enough. What happens if the safety systems malfunction?

Another reason is Robot get more capable than us.also they are complex.Humans are not capable to fight with robots, both physically and mentally. There is always question that If the robots cannot understand our experiences, how can we be sure that they will even know how to keep us safe?

Robots are seen as a threat for human being, but time and again the narration is changing, From Enemied to hero of the story. Let us take two examples.

1) Film Robot 

Robot is a 2010 Indian Tamil-language science fiction action film written and directed by S. Shankar. The film was released on  1 October 2010 (India) and became so popular. In the film Robot, Vaseegaran, a brilliant scientist, builds Chitti, a unique robot, who is programmed to protect mankind and also feel human emotions. Problems arise when Chitti falls in love with Vaseegaran's girlfriend, at the end part of the movie we find that just because of changing small chip in Chitti (The Robot) it became dangerous for human beings. It also harmed his own master and other people. Chitti a friendly robot in the beginning, turnes into monster at the end. Here, we see that how narration about Robot is changing within the story only.  Now let us take second example, that is the sequence of this Film, 'Robot'.watch trailer of the film here.



2) Film 2.0 

2.0 is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language science fiction action film, directed by S. Shankar who co-wrote the film with B. Jeyamohan and Madhan Karky.The film was released on 29 November 2018 in India. Meaning of 2.0 is refers to the upgraded antagonist version of the eponymous super-robot Chitti, who designates himself in the second half of this film's prequel, 'Enthiran'. Read story line of the movie here. Click to read

Watch trailer of film here.


I
f we analyze this movie we find that there is a pakshirajan who is antagonist.And the Movie is all about climactic battle between 2.0 and Pakshiraja. 2.0 is Robot, latest version of chitti from film 'Robot'. But here, it is not antagonist like it is in film Robot. Here it is portrayed as human Savior. So we can conclude that the narration of film Robot, which made in 2010 is portrayed Robot as a villain, and the narration is changing in the sequel of that film, which came as 2.0 in 2018 which is showing robots as saviour. So we can say that people started looking more acceptable way to robots now then past.

Robots in Literature 
Here is one chart saying usage of term Robot in English.

1) Robots and androids have frequently been depicted or described in works of fiction. The word "robot" itself comes from a work of fiction, Karel Čapek's play, R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots), written in 1920 and first performed in 1921. The story begins with Helena, the daughter of the president of a major industrial power, arrives at the island factory of Rossum's Universal Robots. She bring lots of Robots. And with passing time the robots turns into danger for human being.The robots storm the factory and kill all the humans except for Alquist, the company's chief engineer. The robots spare him because they recognize that "he works with his hands like the robots."

2) Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. Frankenstein tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment. People usually think monster as a robot. Because it is manmade. In novel this also monster murder family members of his own creator Victor Frankenstein. And taken as a disaster for human beings.

3) Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Everyone’s favorite resident cyborg is a perfect example of why we love books with robots!Cinder, a gifted mechanic in New Beijing, is also a cyborg. She’s reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s sudden illness. But when her life becomes entwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she finds herself at the centre of a violent struggle between the desires of an evil queen – and a dangerous temptation.Cinder is caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal. Now she must uncover secrets about her mysterious past in order to protect Earth’s future. In this book we find robot as a friendly nature.

Read about more novels with Robot characters. Click to Read.


If we analyze all this books we find that Karel Čapek's play, R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein are quite old literature and it is depicting horror and fear of Robots because lack of information of technology and usage of technology. But in modern time we find Robot is seen as friendly natured and saviour. As we find in the book Cinder by Marissa Meyer.

Here, This is a Instagram post of R. J. Goswami. He explained fear of robot in future with the good examples.


Now, i am ending my blog with the question that what is Robot according to you?Disaster or Saviour. (Comment your answer)

I hope this information will be helpful to you. Thank you!


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