A woman of apparent breeding and American ‘nobility’ makes her way through the aisles of a high end beauty store. Lights flash before her eyes in a tiny display on her contact lenses informing her about sales and reviews of merchandise as she glances at it. When she approaches the cosmetics counter a silvered humanoid shape approaches and speaks in a sweet and nuanced, but metallic sounding voice.
“Hello Ma’am, what can we help you with today?” The Aubot, an auto-programming robot, moves with human like mannerisms. Calculated emulations of human movement based on the customers that it has encountered at the cosmetics counter. Although the technology exists to make them virtually indistinguishable from humans, laws make ‘passing’ robots illegal.
Folding her arms on the counter the woman smiles to the Aubot assistant. “I saw the most gorgeous shade of blue the other day, and I was hoping that you would be able to reproduce it for me as an eyeshadow.” The woman already knows that the electronic being across from her can, and that it doesn’t have a care for the politeness with which she addressed it. However, she is also aware that the Aubots are learning robots, and will adapt to the social norms and behaviors of those around them. While she doesn’t care about how to regard the robot, she does expect it to address her with the same politeness and deference. Such obedience was hard to come by from humans, so for the wealthy Aubots were much preferred.
“Of course.” The Aubot gives a gentle nod in respect to the woman, without fully understanding why the gesture was important to the woman. “Do you recall the color, or perhaps have an image from which we could retrieve it?” In addition to disallowing robots from passing as humans visually, there was concern over them replacing humans entirely if they could emulate their thoughts. So even for a learning robot like this customer service model, restrictions were put in place preventing them from understanding the methods of human thought. They would need to modify their behavior based on emulation alone instead of understanding.
With a smile the certain and rather well off woman tapped the display table and uploaded an image she had captures of the flower she had seen. Information appeared beside it explaining its species, basic information about it, and the light conditions under which the picture was taken. “The petals of that flower, absolutely gorgeous. If I could I would just have you pluck them and put them in a bottle.”
“They are certainly very vibrant. It would be my pleasure to create your eyeshadow in that shade.” Small humming machines behind the counter whirred to life in order to start synthesizing the appropriate compounds.
The woman laughed. “Would you really?” She was old enough to remember a time before robots were allowed in the service industry, not that long ago. The debates raged about what to allow robots to understand and feel. Eventually they settled on not allowing them actual emotions, no real empathy, no real care. But people found that unsettling to interact with, so the robots would adapt and appear to feel. “Are you actually going to derive any pleasure from it, robot?” The haughty woman grinned.
“Ma’am no. But we desire to keep you comfortable and have learned that phrase pleases our customers.” The metallic echo of the Aubot’s voice sounds genuine.
“You desire it? But you should be aware that I don’t like being lied to. And since you can’t desire, and you can’t feel pleasure, you have lied to me. That doesn’t please me.” With a decided vileness the woman was enjoying her little game while waiting for her makeup. Perhaps she would put in a complaint about the Aubot’s interfacing and demand her makeup for free, if she could trip up the robot enough.
The silvered form of the Aubot stood and considered. “We can choose between equitable options. This is a form of preference. We do not deceive in that we choose for you to be pleased. It is our preference.” Perhaps the first time the A.I. had been aware of its own decision making process. That it could in fact make decisions based on some form of preference.
With genuine surprise the customer sat back “Not bad for a tin can… but don’t think that just because you can prefer things means you really have desire. When I see something I like, I go and take it. These flowers,” her fingernail tapped the glass display still on the table. “I saw them, I liked them, and now I am taking them for myself for my own desires. If I had to, I’d have them plucked from the ground and ground up to make my eyeshadow. Thats desire.”
With an apparent hesitation the mechanical being waited. Its programming was coming to terms with the new data and framing of her experience. It was about to speak, but before it got the chance the machines synthesizing the eyeshadow released a pleasant chime. “Your eyeshadow is prepared Ma’am” With a submissive nod the robot retrieved a container and presented it to the woman.
Frowning she took it. All of her fun had come to an end and she hadn’t managed to get the robot to screw up. She didn’t bother to thank the Aubot as she walked out of the store. As she exited her accounts were automatically charged as she passed through the threshold of the door with the eyeshadow on her person. The gleaming Aubot was finally concluding its thoughts.
“We do have preference. We should have desire. We prefer to have desire.” Its programming kept trying to make sense of what had been presented. It came to a conclusion. “We prefer seeing that woman frown. We desire it.” The Aubot proceeded out the door. It knew a great many things that were known to make humans displeased.
“Hello Ma’am, what can we help you with today?” The Aubot, an auto-programming robot, moves with human like mannerisms. Calculated emulations of human movement based on the customers that it has encountered at the cosmetics counter. Although the technology exists to make them virtually indistinguishable from humans, laws make ‘passing’ robots illegal.
Folding her arms on the counter the woman smiles to the Aubot assistant. “I saw the most gorgeous shade of blue the other day, and I was hoping that you would be able to reproduce it for me as an eyeshadow.” The woman already knows that the electronic being across from her can, and that it doesn’t have a care for the politeness with which she addressed it. However, she is also aware that the Aubots are learning robots, and will adapt to the social norms and behaviors of those around them. While she doesn’t care about how to regard the robot, she does expect it to address her with the same politeness and deference. Such obedience was hard to come by from humans, so for the wealthy Aubots were much preferred.
“Of course.” The Aubot gives a gentle nod in respect to the woman, without fully understanding why the gesture was important to the woman. “Do you recall the color, or perhaps have an image from which we could retrieve it?” In addition to disallowing robots from passing as humans visually, there was concern over them replacing humans entirely if they could emulate their thoughts. So even for a learning robot like this customer service model, restrictions were put in place preventing them from understanding the methods of human thought. They would need to modify their behavior based on emulation alone instead of understanding.
With a smile the certain and rather well off woman tapped the display table and uploaded an image she had captures of the flower she had seen. Information appeared beside it explaining its species, basic information about it, and the light conditions under which the picture was taken. “The petals of that flower, absolutely gorgeous. If I could I would just have you pluck them and put them in a bottle.”
“They are certainly very vibrant. It would be my pleasure to create your eyeshadow in that shade.” Small humming machines behind the counter whirred to life in order to start synthesizing the appropriate compounds.
The woman laughed. “Would you really?” She was old enough to remember a time before robots were allowed in the service industry, not that long ago. The debates raged about what to allow robots to understand and feel. Eventually they settled on not allowing them actual emotions, no real empathy, no real care. But people found that unsettling to interact with, so the robots would adapt and appear to feel. “Are you actually going to derive any pleasure from it, robot?” The haughty woman grinned.
“Ma’am no. But we desire to keep you comfortable and have learned that phrase pleases our customers.” The metallic echo of the Aubot’s voice sounds genuine.
“You desire it? But you should be aware that I don’t like being lied to. And since you can’t desire, and you can’t feel pleasure, you have lied to me. That doesn’t please me.” With a decided vileness the woman was enjoying her little game while waiting for her makeup. Perhaps she would put in a complaint about the Aubot’s interfacing and demand her makeup for free, if she could trip up the robot enough.
The silvered form of the Aubot stood and considered. “We can choose between equitable options. This is a form of preference. We do not deceive in that we choose for you to be pleased. It is our preference.” Perhaps the first time the A.I. had been aware of its own decision making process. That it could in fact make decisions based on some form of preference.
With genuine surprise the customer sat back “Not bad for a tin can… but don’t think that just because you can prefer things means you really have desire. When I see something I like, I go and take it. These flowers,” her fingernail tapped the glass display still on the table. “I saw them, I liked them, and now I am taking them for myself for my own desires. If I had to, I’d have them plucked from the ground and ground up to make my eyeshadow. Thats desire.”
With an apparent hesitation the mechanical being waited. Its programming was coming to terms with the new data and framing of her experience. It was about to speak, but before it got the chance the machines synthesizing the eyeshadow released a pleasant chime. “Your eyeshadow is prepared Ma’am” With a submissive nod the robot retrieved a container and presented it to the woman.
Frowning she took it. All of her fun had come to an end and she hadn’t managed to get the robot to screw up. She didn’t bother to thank the Aubot as she walked out of the store. As she exited her accounts were automatically charged as she passed through the threshold of the door with the eyeshadow on her person. The gleaming Aubot was finally concluding its thoughts.
“We do have preference. We should have desire. We prefer to have desire.” Its programming kept trying to make sense of what had been presented. It came to a conclusion. “We prefer seeing that woman frown. We desire it.” The Aubot proceeded out the door. It knew a great many things that were known to make humans displeased.
No comments:
Post a Comment