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.
I think it’s amazing how well developed your supporting claims are so far and I think you will have an easy time writing the draft. Although I disagree with your thesis that androids should be welcomed into society, you introduce some key points like the Repliee expo and the vocalizer. With inventions like these, androids only seem a few small steps away, though I don’t think that computers and humans are extremely similar right now. Yes, words and terms used to describe us have taken on a machine-esque theme but we are, at our core, still human with emotions. I don’t believe that computers will ever be able to replicate human emotions exactly.
You’ve clearly done your research. I like how you’re going to try and explain what it means to be “human,” and what it means to be a “machine,” because that’s what’s going to give your argument support. Anyone can argue an android is human because it talks and acts like one, but if they don’t give a meaning for what “human” is, then the point is worthless. Your counterargument has validity, and I wonder how you’re going to deny the fear that robots may eventually replace humans. Is it because humans will ultimately be one level higher than robots somehow, or because we can achieve a balance between human and robot companionship? There’s a lot to work with here, good luck with it all!