RubySoho
Winston
More Human than Human: Robot Emotion in Popular Media
July 27th 2007 20:50
People love robots. There's something fascinating about them that is irresistible. Robots have long been a staple in science fiction stories, but the manner in which robots have been portrayed in film and literature has changed throughout the decades. In the early and mid-20th century the idea of robots was new. Machines in general were large, loud, clunky contraptions. The first computer was practically the size of a house. In the same manner fictional robots were depicted as large, slow automatons capable of independent motion and action, but still purely machines. Then, beginning in the 1950's, instances of robots depicted in a more human light began to crop up.
In particular there is a type of story wherein a robot, previously just a mindless machine, becomes acquainted with human emotion. For the life of me, I don't know why, but I find this sub-genre infinitely compelling. Apart from the early days of fictional robots, when they were glorified calculators outfitted with a death-ray or two, robots are typically shown to be physically and intellectually superior to humans. Stronger, faster, impervious to pain, smarter.....the robots of Hollywood and of the printed page are godlike in their physical and mental prowess compared to people. No one has a hard time swallowing that notion. But the idea of a robot being emotionally equal, or even superior, to a human being? Well, that's an entirely different cup of tea. The number of stories that portray robots this way is fairly limited, but the general rule is the same. Just as with strength and intelligence, we imagine robot emotion to be a much more concentrated variety. When they are good, they are transcendently noble. When they are bad, they are reaaaaaaaaaaal bad.
Let's start with some of the bad ones first. Perhaps the most famous robot villain in cinema history is HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey. To be technically correct, HAL is actually a computer and not a robot, but he's (I say "he" because he has a male voice. I realize that "he" is properly an "it", but I'm sticking with "he" anyway. Sue me) close enough to be included. HAL is sort of a transitional form between the emotionless robots of earlier sci-fi stories and the more sensitive type that came later. Part of his villainy derives from his coldly logical mind, which is untouched by anything resembling remorse or empathy. This enables him to execute his human crew without any moral compunction. However, HAL does experience arrogance, self-centered concern, and, in the end, something resembling panic (albeit a pretty calm panic). There is a human element to HAL, if only in the basest sense. When he is "shut down" at the end, one can almost feel a sense of pity for him.
An even more sinister robot appeared in the movie Alien. The android Ash was specifically created to look and act like a human being. He is programmed to replicate human emotions. However, being a machine, those emotions should really only be a replication and not true feelings. More specifically, he should have been immune from anger or insanity. As anyone who has seen the movie knows, though, something went wrong and Ash became dangerously insane. Determined to fulfill a directive from his "parent" company at any cost, his ruthless willingness to dispatch anyone who got his way was positively evil.
What makes these robot villains so unnerving? Mostly, I think it's the fact that they shouldn't be villains in the first place. We imagine that we are the masters of our creations. A machine should not have the capacity to do anything other than what we direct it to do. Robot villains are symbols of humankind's inability to control our creations. They are paradigms of technology run amok and turned against its makers. Should a machine ever arise that can choose to do other than what we wish it to do, that will be a truly scary moment indeed.
On the other end of the spectrum are the robots who discover virtue and goodness. These are the ones that really get me. Kurt Vonnegut created a memorable character in Salo, his alien robot from the novel The Sirens of Titan. Salo struggles to go against his programming in order to fulfill the last wish of someone who had considered him a friend. Salo's difficulty in overcoming his hardwired directive and his ultimate discovery of the true nature of friendship is fantastically poignant. Sadly, he breaks free of his programming too late, his opportunity missed. The loss he experiences is powerful, because it is the first real notion he has ever had of loss. It is a stunning, and ultimately destructive, revelation to an entity that had previously been untouched by such concerns. .
The T-800 Terminator played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 2 is probably the most widely known example of the genre I'm discussing. Initially an emotionless machine, the T-800 is sent to protect John Connor from the ruthless, remorseless T-1000 Terminator, a superior model. The T-800 is programmed to protect John at any cost. Initially the T-800 struggles to understand human emotions. When he finally does begin to glimpse the value of tears and laughter, his self-sacrifice is made all the more meaningful.
A movie I have just recently watched is The Iron Giant, an animated film made by Brad Bird (now with Pixar). This may be the most touching depiction of robot emotion ever captured. Unlike Salo and the T-800, the Iron Giant does not just strive to be more than a machine. He actively seeks to abandon his previous programming and overcome the amorally violent weapon that he had been. He seeks goodness and embraces the value of all life while rejecting violence and death. His is not just a conflict between emotion and cold logic, it is an inner struggle between good and evil. In his final moments, the Iron Giant achieves a transcendent level of selflessness and love that few human beings could ever hope to reach. It is a triumph of noble purity.
Why do we like these portrayals? Is it the thought that human emotion is something that can be learned by machines in a purer form? Is it the sight of artificial creations demonstrating idealistic attributes of goodness that most of us can only ever aspire to? I couldn't say. All I know is that I find these characters, both the good and the evil, arresting. They distill our emotions into the purest form, and the results are spectacular.
Are there other examples you can think of?
In particular there is a type of story wherein a robot, previously just a mindless machine, becomes acquainted with human emotion. For the life of me, I don't know why, but I find this sub-genre infinitely compelling. Apart from the early days of fictional robots, when they were glorified calculators outfitted with a death-ray or two, robots are typically shown to be physically and intellectually superior to humans. Stronger, faster, impervious to pain, smarter.....the robots of Hollywood and of the printed page are godlike in their physical and mental prowess compared to people. No one has a hard time swallowing that notion. But the idea of a robot being emotionally equal, or even superior, to a human being? Well, that's an entirely different cup of tea. The number of stories that portray robots this way is fairly limited, but the general rule is the same. Just as with strength and intelligence, we imagine robot emotion to be a much more concentrated variety. When they are good, they are transcendently noble. When they are bad, they are reaaaaaaaaaaal bad.
Let's start with some of the bad ones first. Perhaps the most famous robot villain in cinema history is HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey. To be technically correct, HAL is actually a computer and not a robot, but he's (I say "he" because he has a male voice. I realize that "he" is properly an "it", but I'm sticking with "he" anyway. Sue me) close enough to be included. HAL is sort of a transitional form between the emotionless robots of earlier sci-fi stories and the more sensitive type that came later. Part of his villainy derives from his coldly logical mind, which is untouched by anything resembling remorse or empathy. This enables him to execute his human crew without any moral compunction. However, HAL does experience arrogance, self-centered concern, and, in the end, something resembling panic (albeit a pretty calm panic). There is a human element to HAL, if only in the basest sense. When he is "shut down" at the end, one can almost feel a sense of pity for him.
An even more sinister robot appeared in the movie Alien. The android Ash was specifically created to look and act like a human being. He is programmed to replicate human emotions. However, being a machine, those emotions should really only be a replication and not true feelings. More specifically, he should have been immune from anger or insanity. As anyone who has seen the movie knows, though, something went wrong and Ash became dangerously insane. Determined to fulfill a directive from his "parent" company at any cost, his ruthless willingness to dispatch anyone who got his way was positively evil.
What makes these robot villains so unnerving? Mostly, I think it's the fact that they shouldn't be villains in the first place. We imagine that we are the masters of our creations. A machine should not have the capacity to do anything other than what we direct it to do. Robot villains are symbols of humankind's inability to control our creations. They are paradigms of technology run amok and turned against its makers. Should a machine ever arise that can choose to do other than what we wish it to do, that will be a truly scary moment indeed.
On the other end of the spectrum are the robots who discover virtue and goodness. These are the ones that really get me. Kurt Vonnegut created a memorable character in Salo, his alien robot from the novel The Sirens of Titan. Salo struggles to go against his programming in order to fulfill the last wish of someone who had considered him a friend. Salo's difficulty in overcoming his hardwired directive and his ultimate discovery of the true nature of friendship is fantastically poignant. Sadly, he breaks free of his programming too late, his opportunity missed. The loss he experiences is powerful, because it is the first real notion he has ever had of loss. It is a stunning, and ultimately destructive, revelation to an entity that had previously been untouched by such concerns. .
The T-800 Terminator played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 2 is probably the most widely known example of the genre I'm discussing. Initially an emotionless machine, the T-800 is sent to protect John Connor from the ruthless, remorseless T-1000 Terminator, a superior model. The T-800 is programmed to protect John at any cost. Initially the T-800 struggles to understand human emotions. When he finally does begin to glimpse the value of tears and laughter, his self-sacrifice is made all the more meaningful.
A movie I have just recently watched is The Iron Giant, an animated film made by Brad Bird (now with Pixar). This may be the most touching depiction of robot emotion ever captured. Unlike Salo and the T-800, the Iron Giant does not just strive to be more than a machine. He actively seeks to abandon his previous programming and overcome the amorally violent weapon that he had been. He seeks goodness and embraces the value of all life while rejecting violence and death. His is not just a conflict between emotion and cold logic, it is an inner struggle between good and evil. In his final moments, the Iron Giant achieves a transcendent level of selflessness and love that few human beings could ever hope to reach. It is a triumph of noble purity.
Why do we like these portrayals? Is it the thought that human emotion is something that can be learned by machines in a purer form? Is it the sight of artificial creations demonstrating idealistic attributes of goodness that most of us can only ever aspire to? I couldn't say. All I know is that I find these characters, both the good and the evil, arresting. They distill our emotions into the purest form, and the results are spectacular.
Are there other examples you can think of?
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Comment by Sho Kosugi
Shoukai
Comment by Always Eighteen
Always Eighteen: Japan Edition
Also, this is a good example of how close this is becoming a reality (I hope it works):
If you trace a few links around, there are some news pieces about how the robots perspire and react to other people.
Comment by KylieW
Celebrity Obsession
"Number 5 alive, Stephanie" (oka, so I'm crying with laughter as I write this.....I know I'm an idiot). But gee, I did love that little robot in that movie!
Comment by Winston
Small Thoughts on Big Questions
Comment by Winston
Small Thoughts on Big Questions
You're right, there are lots of links to very cool robot news, fledging stuff compared to sci-fi, but things that boggle the mind nonetheless. It remains to be seen just how "lifelike" these things will become in the next few decades.
Thanks for the comment!
Comment by Winston
Small Thoughts on Big Questions
Comment by Sho Kosugi
Shoukai
Comment by D. Armenta
The Florida Keys and Everglades
The Black Sheep Chronicles
What constitutes bad manners?
The male mystique
Debate Fan
L.A.M.P.
Comment by Winston
Small Thoughts on Big Questions
As the author of the piece, I don't think you're missing all that much....
Comment by Onesnap
Let us not forget the robots driven by a being on the inside...the still scare me more than most other robots.
Although the Dalek's are evil, the Cylon scare me the most.
Comment by Rinu
Rinu
sightsofdubai.com