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INTEREST: Renowned Robotics Researcher Ruminates on Japan's Reception of Robots


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Veniamin



Joined: 25 Aug 2013
Posts: 215
Location: Miami
PostPosted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 8:06 am Reply with quote
Well, I'm glad they mentioned the REAL Robocop.
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Guilhem



Joined: 14 Jun 2004
Posts: 181
PostPosted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 8:10 am Reply with quote
Heather Knight should read Jacques Ellul and particularly his masterpiece essay, The Technological System (Le Système technicien, 1977): this may prevent her to say such stupidities...
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OH&S



Joined: 15 Jul 2013
Posts: 306
Location: Sydney, Australia
PostPosted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 8:27 am Reply with quote
Isn't this more an issue of not falling into the uncanny valley? The term was first used in the field of robotics.
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revolutionotaku



Joined: 19 May 2011
Posts: 886
PostPosted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 10:52 am Reply with quote
I've seen an episode of "Cool Japan" on the NHK World channel.
The topic was about robotics in Japan.
There was a foreign guest from Italy (where the majority of the population is Roman Catholic) who said that artificial intelligence is an form of blasphemy.
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Cyclone1993



Joined: 05 Jul 2011
Posts: 947
PostPosted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 10:55 am Reply with quote
Very interesting theory, and it sounds like she might be on to something...
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Juno016



Joined: 09 Jan 2012
Posts: 2386
PostPosted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 10:58 am Reply with quote
She has some basis behind her suggestion, though. Japan is not really a religious country, but the effect of its indigenous religions/philosophies on its society is pretty big. The same thing happens in America, even from non-religious people, because some of our social morals come directly from Christianity. It's not surprising that this could affect the way we view the world around us and how far we step into that "uncanny valley." Sure, I've seen cute robots from America and scary robots from Japan, but those tend to be pretty niche creations while otherwise, the majority of robotics research in America is strictly non-human (medical assistance) or it's intelligence based meant for strategy (weaponization), and Japan's robotic research focuses much heavier on daily assistance (coexistence with normal lives not necessarily in need of it) or it's design-based, meant to turn dreams into a reality, military or not.

Quote:
Isn't this more an issue of not falling into the uncanny valley? The term was first used in the field of robotics.


Indirectly, it is, but then why don't we see Western robotics creating non-human, personified robots? And why is Japan's development of a robot human considered a good thing? I'd suggest it still has to do with our approach and what we're afraid or not afraid to do. There is plenty of overlap, but societal values tend to be the biggest barrier.
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Mohawk52



Joined: 16 Oct 2003
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Location: England, UK
PostPosted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 11:34 am Reply with quote
revolutionotaku wrote:
I've seen an episode of "Cool Japan" on the NHK World channel.
The topic was about robotics in Japan.
There was a foreign guest from Italy (where the majority of the population is Roman Catholic) who said that artificial intelligence is an form of blasphemy.
They lost all credibility when they burned people at the stake for believing the Earth was round and revolved round the Sun, a few years ago, and yes I'm RC too.I also hold responsible all the 1950's B-Horror movies about robots from outerspace coming to destroy the Earth. Just look up all the gullible people what committed suicide when the 1930's radio drama "War Of The World " was first broadcast. Apparently they tuned in after the verbal disclaimer that is wasn't real and thought it was. Darwin for the win. Rolling Eyes
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jymmy



Joined: 11 Nov 2011
Posts: 1244
PostPosted: Mon Aug 04, 2014 7:33 pm Reply with quote
Mohawk52 wrote:
Just look up all the gullible people what committed suicide when the 1930's radio drama "War Of The World " was first broadcast. Apparently they tuned in after the verbal disclaimer that is wasn't real and thought it was. Darwin for the win. Rolling Eyes

While that most certainly happened, it was hardly a nationwide panic. Plus, if you've heard the radio drama at all, sections of it at least absolutely sound like a real radio report. I could totally understand station-hopping, coming across it (missing the whole "Please enjoy Orson Welles' The War of the Worlds) and being confused, without a history of similar programmes to refer to.
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Sariachan



Joined: 09 May 2005
Posts: 1494
Location: Italy
PostPosted: Tue Aug 05, 2014 2:53 am Reply with quote
revolutionotaku wrote:
I've seen an episode of "Cool Japan" on the NHK World channel.
The topic was about robotics in Japan.
There was a foreign guest from Italy (where the majority of the population is Roman Catholic) who said that artificial intelligence is an form of blasphemy.

Really? °_° I'm ashamed of being Italian sometimes, but I know many people here who love Japan mechas and robots in general.
I'm atheist, by the way. I appreciate Shintoism, though, or better its philosophy (the little I know of it, at least).
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configspace



Joined: 16 Aug 2008
Posts: 3717
PostPosted: Tue Aug 05, 2014 3:33 am Reply with quote
Sariachan wrote:
revolutionotaku wrote:
I've seen an episode of "Cool Japan" on the NHK World channel.
The topic was about robotics in Japan.
There was a foreign guest from Italy (where the majority of the population is Roman Catholic) who said that artificial intelligence is an form of blasphemy.

Really? °_° I'm ashamed of being Italian sometimes, but I know many people here who love Japan mechas and robots in general.
I'm atheist, by the way. I appreciate Shintoism, though, or better its philosophy (the little I know of it, at least).

A Roman Catholic Italian... is a guy in a nice suit making a sign of the cross before he shoots you Razz
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Polycell



Joined: 16 Jan 2012
Posts: 4623
PostPosted: Tue Aug 05, 2014 4:12 am Reply with quote
Mohawk52 wrote:
They lost all credibility when they burned people at the stake for believing the Earth was round and revolved round the Sun
The shape of the earth was, in European scholarly circles, settled well before Columbus(who was laughed out of court for being horrendously wrong about the size of the earth; what he proved would've been the settlement of the antipodes and that his detractors were perfectly right). There wasn't the drama that was seen with Galileo.
Quote:
I also hold responsible all the 1950's B-Horror movies about robots from outerspace coming to destroy the Earth.
The folly of treading on God's domain proceeds the first example of robots by quite some time. Moving on, R.U.R. gave us "robot" and spoiler[the first example of a successful, humanity-destroying robot rebellion].
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StudioToledo



Joined: 16 Aug 2006
Posts: 847
Location: Toledo, U.S.A.
PostPosted: Tue Aug 05, 2014 4:17 pm Reply with quote
Mohawk52 wrote:
revolutionotaku wrote:
I've seen an episode of "Cool Japan" on the NHK World channel.
The topic was about robotics in Japan.
There was a foreign guest from Italy (where the majority of the population is Roman Catholic) who said that artificial intelligence is an form of blasphemy.
They lost all credibility when they burned people at the stake for believing the Earth was round and revolved round the Sun, a few years ago, and yes I'm RC too.

Lord knows I haven't went back to church regularly in 15 years.
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Scintilla



Joined: 05 Aug 2014
Posts: 1
Location: New Jersey
PostPosted: Tue Aug 05, 2014 4:49 pm Reply with quote
Is NOBODY going to remark on that rapturous run of alliteration?!
For that headline and subhead, hats off, ANN staff!
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Sariachan



Joined: 09 May 2005
Posts: 1494
Location: Italy
PostPosted: Tue Aug 05, 2014 10:13 pm Reply with quote
Scintilla wrote:
Is NOBODY going to remark on that rapturous run of alliteration?!
For that headline and subhead, hats off, ANN staff!

You're right, I just noticed it! Anime hyper
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gloverrandal



Joined: 20 May 2014
Posts: 406
Location: Oita
PostPosted: Wed Aug 06, 2014 12:42 am Reply with quote
I've always noticed the west and east have different mindsets when it comes to AI and robotics. A lot of western media focuses on AI advancement being a bad thing, from practical mindsets of robots taking over our jobs to more science fiction territory of AIs gaining self-awareness and deciding to destroy humanity. Japanese media tend to have a more co-existing mindset with robots and AI and treat it as an optimistic thing.
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