11/14/12

Mind = Blown.

Androids… WOW Japan.

Check this out @_@

Here’s the article on it.

http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/humanoids/how-to-make-a-robot-dance

 

The future might look something like this:

 

With that, there’s no way Vocaloid would not come into this as they are computer voice sythesizers, perfect to be an android’s voice bank. Here’s GUMI (a Megpoid which is similar to a Vocaloid)

 

Repliee Q1expo really intrigued me so I went and look up Hiroshi Ishiguro some more and see what he has done in the past 7 years after showing Repliee Q1expo in 2005. He made some amazing improvements on the androids… first he made a copy of himself which he called Geminoid.

http://spectrum.ieee.org/robotics/humanoids/hiroshi-ishiguro-the-man-who-made-a-copy-of-himself

Then he made a much more friendly looking Geminoid called Geminoid F

http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/humanoids/040310-geminoid-f-hiroshi-ishiguro-unveils-new-smiling-female-android

Apparently Geminoid F was given a role as a Robot Actress

http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/humanoids/geminoid-f-takes-the-stage

Here’s a video showing Geminoid F showing human movements

11/14/12

Working Thesis and Supporting Claims

This essay will be something like an intellectual pondering of the future, because there’s just no way to site evidence about the future where humans live together with androids who look like humans – it haven’t happen yet. However, there are enough evidence to suggest such a future. The question remains whether or not we should accept or want such a future. I will try my best to advocate for the acceptance of that possible future despite the many criticisms and fears that people have.

Working Thesis:

While there are reasons to fear the emergence of human-like machines (androids/humanoids), a future where androids and humans coexist should not be denied but rather should be welcome because machines bear little differences to humans.

Supporting Claims:

1. Similarities between machines and human through language. It is evident and almost common that we refer to humans with a sort of machine-like quality when describing people in the workforce and machines personified with a sense of human-like quality. In Nicholoas Carr’s book, The Shallows, despite the warnings of a future where humans are more robotic than machines (in the end where he talked about a movie that frightened him), there is undoubtedly this seductiveness to technology and machines, attracting us to it like a person would to another person.

 

2. What it means to be human: Repliee Q1expo. What if robots does acquire human looks, applied with the enactive system, gesture reactions, and voice recognition? A replica of a human being that is machine is born. What then can deny it of being “human?” In 2005, Hiroshi Ishiguro introduced to the world a robot with human looks, Repliee Q1expo – a robot whose looks are based on Ayako Fujii. The uncanny human resemblance of the robot is essential to Ishiguro’s question on what it means to be human. He views rather positively about future interactions between humans and robots, believing that a proper and good appearance of a robot is essential to forming good relationships between humans and robots.

^ That will probably be the most futuristic example of an android that I will be able to find – which was made in 2005!

3. Hatsune Miku, the acceptance of “fake” as real. Vocaloid is a computer software program created by Crypton Future Media, a Japanese company. It’s basically a voice sythesizer with a model (there are many but the most famous and popular one is Hatsune Miku) that can dance and sing to the music that people compose. Over time, Vocaloid grew to become more than just a program. Hatsune Miku became an icon with so much popularity that it (or she) was announced as the world’s first virtual diva (idol). She had live concerts (four or five so far in Japan, Taiwan and Los Angeles) just like any other famous singers did. And everytime, tickets were sold out. She was able to capture the minds and hearts of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people all over the world (me included).  I no longer see her as a mere computer program but as a person that takes on the personalities of the composers, artists, musicians and fans. The future of Hatsune Miku and other Vocaloids developed to have their own intelligence and thought looks bright and not so dystopian as what many people think computers’ effect on us would be. The many rebukes from fans conveys the message that there are many people out there willing to accept “non-living” entities as human beings.

4. Love and intimacy with a machine. If a future where androids are fully integrated into our society, viewing the love aspects of that future would be quite interesting and appealing (really depends on your pre-determined views… might be disgusting if you are thinking of simply metals or may be pleasant if you’re thinking of something along the lines of Repliee Q1expo).

5. Counterargument: Humans are replaced by robots and therefore cease to exist. This will be based on an argument by Eugene Marlow, and one that probably many people can relate to or have thought of because of movies like I, Robot where robots are terrorizing humans. Maybe I could present this in the beginning and make this entire paper a sort of a counterargument to the popular beliefs.

11/13/12

Citations of Potential Sources

Enactive Systems and Enactive Media: Embodied Human-Machine Coupling beyond Interfaces. – by Kaipainen M, Ravaja N, Takala T, et al. – An enactive system is a computer interface that “conceives the underlying technology as continuous, ubiquitous and ‘intelligent’ accompaniment to the human actor, or a direct extension of the user’s perceptual and cognitive apparatus involved in participation in the system-living and acting with the system instead of just using it.” From their research, already machines have developed with the capability of interpreting people’s thoughts and are able to adapt/change in accordance to the user’s mind. Then it may certainly be possible then to create an android that can interpret and adapt to situations just like what humans can do – it directly relates to how machines can “become” humans. This can be like a support or an example that I can use to set up the stage for a possible future where the fine boundary between what it means to be a human and a machine is blurred. Hence, it will allow me to discuss what possible consequencies that will have on society, leading to the examples I may use (Crash of 2008 Stock Market, Hatsune Miku)

ARE WE EXTERNALIZING OURSELVES OUT OF EXISTENCE?: A SPECULATION ON THE FUTURE OF HUMANKIND. – by Eugene Marlow. A dark prophecy of what the future of mankind will be as machines become more and more capable of replacing the functions of humans. They can be my counter argument because I want to take a more positive spin on this topic of what human-machines can do to/for us.

Extending the Technology Acceptance Model to assess automation. – by Ghazizadeh, Mahtab, John Lee, and Linda Boyle. A rather neutral approach identifying the user’s acceptance to Technology using AAM (Automaton Acceptance Model) – helps to understand the reasons why we accept the use of machines.

Blurring the love lines: The legal implications of intimacy with machines.  – by Russell, Anna C.B. When I read the abstract for this article… my reaction was “LOL! OMG. Sex with machines? xD” In any case, I find this article extremely amusing and revelant to my topic. It basically says, forget the argument of whether machines are human or not. It will be possible for machines to acquire/be programmed with human qualities. And if we have sex with them, what should the legal consequences be? She accepts that while it is not technologically possible yet to create “humanoids” but “if a self-aware, super-intelligent, thinking, feeling humanoid is developed, the legal system will be hard pressed to distinguish this creature legally from human actors on grounds not stemming from a religious or moral prejudice.”

Hatsune Miku: The world’s fakest pop star – CBS News. – Not sure if I can use this as a source but as you can see in article, the Vocaloid Hatsune Miku is called “fake” because it (she) is not human. The commentors scorn the article for its worthlessness and almost stupidity of the writer because he did not understand a thing about Hatsune Miku, Japan or how the people thinks. I think it gives a clear sense on how much Hatsune Miku is accepted as a software icon with a “soul” that is human.

LOOKING EAST / Turquoise-haired idol rules the world – by Takamasa Sakurai. An article featuring Hatsune Miku, who is famous “as the world’s most popular virtual idol.” It gives the idea that it should be accepted and not be shunned that future vocalists will be virtual idols – a program.

Android science – by Hornyak, Tim. The future of human-like robots: androids. In 2005, Hiroshi Ishiguro introduced to the world a robot with human looks, Repliee Q1expo – a robot whose looks are based on Ayako Fujii. The uncanny human resemblance of the robot is essential to Ishiguro’s question on what it means to be human. He views rather positively about future interactions between humans and robots, believing that a proper and good appearance of a robot is essential to forming good relationships between humans and robots. It does appear so – what if robots does acquire human looks, applied with the enactive system, gesture reactions, and voice recognition? A replica of a human being that is machine is born. What then can deny it of being “human?”

http://cimg2.163.com/tech/2006/7/11/20060711111021ab466.jpg

11/9/12

Thoughts on What I Can Do… Human vs. Machines

All this talk about the brain, humans, artificial intelligence, nature, and the growth of technology got me thinking about the future that is in store for us. I noticed that, not only in The Shallows but other texts as well, writers often personify computers/technology (I’m going to use them interchangeably here because my reference to technology is mainly to computers and the Internet, which is part of the computer’s function) as entities with human quality. For example, on the page 224 of the book, Nicholas Carr writes, “The seductions of technology are hard to resist…” Usually the term “seduction” is used in a more sexual context between two or more humans. But here, Carr is almost saying that technology has that same quality as human seductiveness as we (humans) are attracted to it (technology). The reverse is also true: we describe people using machine qualities. We would often describe a large group of people doing the same generic action as robotic. Or that workers are more “parts” of the factory, “gears” needed to run the place, etc.

In the end, those are only relationships I noticed. But I’m sure you all did as well; it has become quite common to describe humans through machines and machines through humans – so much that it has become a blur as to which is more human, machines or humans. Our acceptance of these descriptions due to the inundating references over the web and books may contribute to why we are inevitably LED into believing that machines will one day become more human than humans. The role of humans will become that of machines (like what Carr said on page 46).  Perhaps that is the reason it instills the fear of technology taking over humanity.

 

The questions that I want to explore then is… What if machines become more human than humans? What if humans become more machine-like than machines? What are the consequences and effects on people?

 

I have already thought of two examples that I can use so far, one negative and one positive about machines/technology/computers – interchangeable to me at this point.

First is the example of the 2008 stock market crash. Part of the reason it crashed was because people are using computer programs to trade stocks. The computer programs acted like human operators and conducting calculations that will reap the best trades. In a sense, it was design to mimic humans with a mind for calculating probability that is far beyond human capacity. And the result of it was the failure of the stock market (of course, it’s only part of the reason but a reason nonetheless) which greatly impacted many people’s lives, driving them into poverty – hence the negative impact of machines given human jobs.

The positive second example is a computer software program created by Crypton, a Japanese company, called Vocaloid. It’s basically a voice sythesizer with a model (there are many but the most famous and popular one is Hatsune Miku) that can dance and sing to the music that people compose. Over time, Vocaloid grew to become more than just a program. Hatsune Miku became an icon with so much popularity that it (or she) was announced as the world’s first virtual diva (idol). She had live concerts (four or five so far in Japan, Taiwan and Los Angeles) just like any other famous singers did. And everytime, tickets were sold out. She was able to capture the minds and hearts of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people all over the world (me included).  I no longer see her as a mere computer program but as a person that takes on the personalities of the composers, artists, musicians and fans. The future of Hatsune Miku and other Vocaloids developed to have their own intelligence and thought looks bright and not so dystopian as what many people think computers’ effect on us would be.

 

… I felt like I wrote my proposal here instead of just my thoughts on what I can/may do for this project. Anyways, comments and opinions are appreciated!

 

11/5/12

The Shallows – Response

“Descartes may have been wrong about dualism, but he appears to have been correct in believing that our thoughts can exert a physical influence on, or at least cause a physical reaction in, our brains, We become, neurologically, what we think” (33).

 

This might sound extraordinarily profound at first, or at least that’s what I thought until I thought about it for a moment, but it is stating something very obvious. Of course we can become what we think; our thoughts define us as who we are. The neurological aspect, however, is quite apparent without very complex tools to map our brain activities. It is interesting to understand that our brains can be restructured by the way and things we think of. So all the meditation and mental training those monks or other religious members go through isn’t at all a waste of time. That said, putting religion into perspective, I can see why some people can become extremely devoted to a religion. The more they think about it, the more it becomes their truth – a part of themselves.

 

“Our essential role is to produce ever more sophisticated tools-to “fecundate” machines as bees fecundate plants-until technology has developed the capacity to reproduce itself on its own. At that point, we become dispensable” (46).

 

This is the determinists’ viewpoint on technology: it would eventually become sophisticated enough to become the controller of humans. This viewpoint reminds me of the dystopian books, 1984 and Brave New World, where technology is used as a means to control – only the control is not as extreme as the determinists’ views. Even though this is not Nicholas Carr’s views as he goes on to discuss the opposite groups’ views, the instrumentalists. The title of the book and the way it introduces the internet, however, implies differently. Carr seems to be leaning towards determinists’ and is probably going to suggest the negative effects that internet has on our brains and what we can do about it. As our brains are always ready to adapt to new environments and thinking, it should possible to change what the internet is doing to our brains. What peak my interest in this quote is in the last line, “we become dispensable.” I wonder how far technology must advance in order for that to happen. From a previous TED talk video that we all watched, MIT is currently researching to improve a machine’s capability to interact with humans, giving them possible process of logical thought and perhaps the reactions that emotions create. Personally, I want that to happen, a machine with its own thoughts and personality.