The Robot Chronicles

A Word from Deirdre Gould

We’ve been telling stories about automatons since before Homer’s time. Stories about “robots” cross both cultural and historical boundaries and can be found all over the world. From living statues of metal or clay to futuristic androids, it seems we have a fascination with the power to create life and the dangers and responsibilities that come with that power. Robots have occupied almost every role available in our literature. We’ve battled them, enslaved them (or been enslaved by them), been rescued by them, fallen in love with them—even cared for them like children.

Most of the time, though, when I think of robots, it’s as a foil for human characters in the stories I enjoy. They are perfect—the end of evolution. Stronger, faster, smarter, better. Even when they’re evil, robots are portrayed as perfectly evil. If they are to be defeated, it is their very perfection and inability to grow that makes the human character in the story triumph. And if they are good, the robot is still not quite good enough, because they are rigidly confined to their programming and lack the human adaptability needed to succeed.

But part of the definition of true artificial intelligence is being able to learn and adapt to exterior circumstances. Sure, maybe AIs in the future will be gifted with bodies that are strong and durable and don’t deteriorate. But they won’t be perfect. They’ll have to learn how to deal with all the complexity and confusion that we already face, and they’ll be expected to learn it faster than we do. How will the world look to someone that expects to be immortal? How will our society look to them? Will they learn to lie? Will they pity us or envy us? Will they love us?

Will we let them?