‘Are you human, too?’ is a 2018 South-Korean drama about an artificial intelligence (AI) robot that pretends to be human and in turn is treated as such by the people around him (Scoompi, 2018). He is the protagonist of the show and in true South-Korean drama fashion gains a love interest that ends up falling for him. In the final episode he shows some affection that indicates reciprocation by a tear that he sheds. This drama may not be as far-fetched as the premise makes it out to be. As we see nowadays the line between humans and machines is vanishing. We are teaching and programming AI to be better in our own games and they are becoming more developed as a result (Lant, 2017). However, some people get uneasy and afraid when a robot looks like something that resembles them too much, a phenomenon known as uncanny valley. An example of this is a person or pet that does not act as they expect them to act (Science Friday, 2018). People find it strange and do not feel comfortable with the robots. Nevertheless, I firmly believe that people should not be afraid of them.
Robots are now getting more and more advanced and as a result can play an increasingly valuable role in our society (Dormehl, 2017). For instance, robots can be a companion for the elderly, which is surely needed in our time where the number of caregivers is limited, our society is becoming an aging population and loneliness amongst the elderly is a rampant problem. For example, these robots can remind the elderly to take their medicine. Moreover, they can also teach communication skills to people with autism by talking and responding to them. The relationship between a human being and a machine can perhaps one day become real as our conceptions of what being truly human is challenged. According to researchers, when people form a bond or know the robot better they will avoid doing wrong to them (Science Friday, 2018). Eventually if the bond grows further between robots and humans, people tend to protect them from others. If you watch for example the video of Boston Dynamics’ Spot , you might feel some sympathy for the robot. This is because we have the inclination to treat robots more humanely if they exhibit human like qualities and actually interact with these robots (Dormehl, 2017). For example, people who have prejudice against a group but do not actually interact with them, will still have some prejudice regarding them (contact-theory).
So, robots should not be seen as something scary but as something that can be a great advantage in our human life. In the future, if the technology involved becomes more developed, there might be the chance that robots can express the same emotions as human beings, and so not be different at all from human beings.
Will it be possible? Time will tell.
References
Science Friday (2018). How strong is the human-robot bond? [online]. Available at:
Scoompi (2018). 3 Reasons Why “Are You Human, Too?” Isn’t Your Average Robot Drama. Available at:https://www.soompi.com/article/1182765wpp/3-reasons-human-isnt-average-robot-drama
Lant, K. (2017). Humans and Technology Are Becoming One, and It’s Changing Everything. Available at: https://futurism.com/humans-and-technology-are-becoming-one-and-its-changing-everything/
Dormehl, L. (2017). Why human-robot relationships are totally a good thing. Available at:
https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/why-human-robot-relationships-are-good-for-us/
picture – https://www.koreandrama.org/are-you-human-too/
Very interesting aspect of the potential of future technology you are discussing, Sofia! Indeed robotization of industries such as healthcare could be significantly changed if machines gradually substitute human roles. You also mention that machines could become more human-like, which can encourage human acceptance of and interaction with robots. I think this provides some nice food for thought! Particularly with the ability to show emotions, human-machine relations might become more intense and intimate, potentially even resulting in ‘marriages’! But as you said; only time will tell! Thanks for your post, you have definitely gotten me interested!
Thank you for brining up this interesting topic!
In fact, recently I also watched this drama, and thought for a long time about the implication behind the story. I agree with you that robots will certainly play a valuable role in our future, and no doubt that take can take over many tasks that humans are not that good at or don’t have the time and patient to do. However, is it actually feasible to develop robots in a way that can eventually allow them to become our friends or partners? Should there be a boundary? We know that humans can get highly attached to others when they stay together for a long time, especially when the other person have some strengths that we don’t have. Even if one day machines learn to fully understand and express emotions, will they be the same as actual humans? “Are you also human?” gives an happy ending for Nam sin and So bong, but that’s how the present is, there is no reflection on their future lives. When the human girl gets older and finally have to face death, how will the two deal with situations as such? Additionally, how can they give birth to children and have offsprings? The robot boy will stay young, powerful, and smart as it always it, but the human cannot. The future just seems really worrisome. Therefore in my opinion, we humans as the developer of robots, should still keep in mind that they are not the same as us. We should still be able to maintain great control over the robots’ actions, while of course, it doesn’t have to be as extreme as the “kill switch” in this drama. Also, make sure that people who make friends with robots are fully aware of their differences with actual human beings.
Thank you for your interesting blog, Sofia. I was attracted to your blog by the title as I have also seen this Korean serie.
Indeed, from what I have heard is that there is a big majority out there that are against robots because of the fear of stealling their jobs. I believe that this feeling toward robots is inevitalbe because most people automatically assume that robots are more efficient and effictive than themselves, which causes higher unemployment. So, it is interesting to hear from you that people are able to treat robots more humanely if they exhibit human like qualities and actually interact with these robots. However, I believe that we never could really establish a bond with robtos no matter how humanly they may get in the future, because robots lack emotions and hormones. Bonding happens when in both parties dopamine is involved in the brains which trigger attachments (Barett, 2017). So I think it is difficult to believe that human connects emotionally with a robot, but it is surely possible that humans change their prejudices towards them.