Gresham College Lectures
Who’s Afraid of Robots? - Victoria Baines
Jan 10, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Victoria Baines, IT Livery Company Professor of Information Technology and Senior Research Associate at Jesus College, Cambridge, dives into humanity's complex relationship with robots. She uncovers the historical roots of automatons, from ancient myths to modern interpretations. Baines explores emotional attachments we form with robot companions and discusses the psychological unease surrounding lifelike machines, emphasizing the balance between fascination and fear in our evolving engagement with artificial intelligence.
48:55
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Quick takeaways
- The podcast explores the historical origins of robots, revealing humanity's long-standing fascination with autonomous machines dating back to ancient civilizations.
- Modern concerns about AI reflect an ongoing ambivalence towards technology, echoing ancient perceptions of automata as both helpful and threatening.
Deep dives
The Roots and Definitions of Robots
The definition of robots is explored, revealing that the origins of the concept depend on one's interpretation of ‘robot’ itself. The term was first popularized by Czech writer Karel Čapek in a 1920 play, but the idea of machines that act autonomously has existed for millennia. Historical references indicate that the notion of automata dates back to the Hellenistic era when self-moving designs were created. Ancient texts, such as the Homeric epics, describe various forms of artificial life, showing that the fascination with robots is a long-standing pursuit of humanity.
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