This week’s Sunday Rewind Plus is the #mtpcon SF+Americas keynote from Cynthia Yeung, Head of Product at One Robotics. It’s something that got us thinking about human/robot interactions and how we can find a deeper sense of our own humanity through robotics and AI.
Cynthia reflects on the physical, economic and social context of her keynote address. She says that most of the science fiction she read as a child was filled with dystopian themes where robots have replaced human work and people do not know what to do with themselves. She then notes that it is important to differentiate between jobs and human livelihood and dignity, as they are not the same thing.
Cynthia says that even a robot cannot take on all the responsibilities of a given job. Even the most advanced robots don’t have the dexterity or ability to make human decisions needed to quickly solve a problem.
The developers’ good intentions aren’t enough, says Cynthia. “It’s important not only to design for the happy path, but it’s also important to poke and prod for vulnerabilities to understand where things can break.” She says that data sets are only as good as the thoughtfulness and care of the people who put them together. Automation can be a blessing or a curse.
Watch the video and read the original post here; Robotics and Society by Cynthia Yung
