According to the demands of the residents of the metropolis, a high-tech member of the police team has been suspended from service. Why did a dog-like robot scare the population so much?
Not so long ago, the American and world media were optimistic about the first successes of a robot named Digidog in the service of the New York Police Department. But the other day, the security forces were forced to retire the robops and suspend cooperation with the company that created it, Boston Dynamics. What led to this?
Digidog took part in several police operations, helped to free the hostages. Law enforcement agencies had high hopes for the work of the new employee. The four-legged cop is mobile, able to run over rough terrain and climb stairs.
Cameras and sensors allow him to navigate even in complete darkness and receive maximum information, which is then processed by artificial intelligence. Operating it, according to operators, was as easy as playing a video game.
But recently, a video appeared on Twitter and became viral, in which Digidog was present at the arrest of the criminal. It was about a domestic conflict, and the appearance of the robot seemed to the audience too intimidating for such a minor incident.
“Imagine that you are running away, and this something jumps on your back.” “I am angry. The instinctive response we need to survive is disgust. And I trust my intuition when the sight of these things makes me want to destroy them.” “We were shown a video where all these robots are dancing cute, and now they can attack each of us,” commentators are outraged.
And indeed: when we watch videos with Boston Dynamics robots, the main characters usually touch us rather than scare us.
The press service of the police did not understand why the video on Twitter caused such a strong reaction. Her employees reported that at the time of the arrest, the robot was in standby mode. In addition, the frame shows that at a great distance from the detainee.
But users in the comments showed complete distrust of both the methods of the police and the robot in its service. “What will happen if the police are given such high-tech weapons?!”, “They spend so much money on these monsters, while many Americans do not have their own home.”
This story actually revived the long-standing debate about the three laws of robotics, derived by science fiction writer and scientist Isaac Asimov.
- A robot cannot harm a person or by its inaction allow a person to be harmed.
- A robot must obey all orders given by a human, unless those orders are contrary to the First Law.
- The robot must take care of its safety to the extent that it does not contradict the First or Second Laws.
What are the consequences of the active inclusion of robots in the world of people and the distribution of special powers to them? When will the artificial intelligence, which is the guardian of law and order, begin to make decisions and take actions against criminals, and will it confuse the criminal with an innocent person?
While some people look at innovations with distrust and are afraid that machines will take over the world, others are improving technologies and introducing them into the human world. Will the fate of the heroes of The Matrix and Terminator await us? Life will show.