Robots Attack “Columbus Alive!”
You want evidence of the robot uprising? Look no further than the current issue of Columbus Alive!, the weekly arts and entertainment paper serving the capital of Ohio. The cover story is called “Robots Attack!” and comes complete with a whole section of robophile content.
A big chunk of the edition, though, is given over to the “don’t worry about the robots” sort of propaganda we see all the time coming from the underground robot cabal. The poor rubes there in the heartland have become unwitting pawns in the robots’ battle for the hearts and minds of the unwashed masses.
See here an interview with Ohio State professor Jim Schmiedeler, an All-American Boy type who does robotics research while deflecting attention away from the inherent dangers of building autonomous metal contraptions capable of killing and controlling the population.
I don’t think in 20 years’ time we’re going to get to the level of robots that you see in The Jetsons. But I think in 20 years’ time you’re going to see examples of these fully autonomous robots functioning in society.
You have to admire the rhetorical tricks they come up with. Using “The Jetsons” as the comparative measure of robotic sophistication, we instantly think of a beloved cartoon from our youth, which puts at ease. And none of those robots ever tried to master the world, so why should we worry?
Then of course there is a whole column on robot toys. Who doesn’t like a good wind-up toy, and how could they be dangerous? Yes, just keep thinking, “robot=toy” and the usurpation of mankind will go smoothly indeed.
And lastly we get the propagandists’ hard sell from reporter Chris DeVille, who also writes a blog called “Sensory Overload” on TV and music. Basically, DeVille takes the “you people are silly to fear robots” tact, citing chapter and verse on how robots can only do what they have been programmed to do, and heck they can barely manage household tasks like mowing the lawn so how could they ever take over the Earth?
He also has a classic bit of bait-and-switch, quoting an engineer, James Rivenbark, who tries to confuse the issue by drawing a distinction between robots and artificial intelligence: “A robot really comprises a set of mechanics,” he explained. “And really, when you’re talking about the thinking part of it, you’re talking about artificial intelligence at that point.”
Oh, I see now, it’s not robots we should be afraid of, it’s the artificial intelligence. My bad. You all just go on with your building evil robots capable of enslaving mankind because they’re not really evil. It’s just the artificial intelligence that makes them evil.
Columbus Alive!? Well, the robot propaganda is certainly alive and well in the center of Ohio, that is for sure.
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