What if? It's the basis of many stories. We ask. We ponder. We wonder.
On Tuesdays I throw one out there. What if? It may be speculative. It may stem from something I see. It may be something I pull from the news.
Make of it what you will. If a for instance is not specified, interpret that instance as you wish. And if the idea turns into a story, I'd appreciate a thank you in the acknowledgements 😉
I saw this tweet:
Mars is the only planet in the known Universe that's entirely inhabited by robots
— UberFacts (@UberFacts) September 4, 2022
And it made me laugh. But then, I pondered. And:
What if a world got seeded with intelligent life by robots?
That question has popped up quite a bit in science fiction. It’s terrifying to think of robots with artificial intelligence ruling over carbon based life forms. I think that’s why so many fans adhere to Asimov’s vision, tbe laws of robotics, that compel robots to serve us and not rule us.
ReplyDeleteIt would depend on how the robots were created, I would guess.
DeleteIf that were true, I wish that they are kind and happy robots.
ReplyDeleteAh, the stuff of science fiction, a genre I've been into since my preteen years, I echo what Songbird said. I'm not sure such a seeding would ever end well, at least from the point of view of the non-robot life forms.
ReplyDeleteIt would depend, I would think. Who were the robots created by? I did not specify.
DeleteI wonder why they'd do that? We would be so puny compared to them in every way. Your title made me hear Kent Brockman (The Simpsons) in my head, reporting on the news, "I, for one, welcome our new insect overlords..."
ReplyDeleteThe crazy, and sad thing, is some people will believe that Tweet. After all, they read it, it must be true.
But the tweet is true. How many probes and rovers and such have been sent to Mars? That's why it made me laugh. Sure, it's populated by robots--that we sent to explore the planet.
DeleteIt would be like The Terminator.
ReplyDeleteCould be.
DeleteOkay, so, Isaac Asimov came up with the "First Law of Robotics", right? (and probably other laws of robotics) The thing is, they aren't laws! They are fiction. Made up from the mind of a fascinating science fiction author. Not rules, by any means.
ReplyDeleteYes, if a human builds a robot, they may include "do not harm humans" in the programming, but if a robot is building robots, would they do the same? There's no law. Not really.
If memory serves, there were three laws of robotics from Asimov. They would be good parameters for anyone considering building robots. But yeah, made up by a fiction writer, so not laws that would necessarily be enforced.
DeleteBy "seeded", do you mean the robots began having sex and reproducing themselves and then moving off to other planets? Or seeded life elsewhere, as we'd like to do, on the moon or Mars or wherever, with likenesses of themselves. Would those likenesses on other planets then make up mysterious origin stories, write them in a book or various books, and later wage wars amongst themselves over whose story was right and who was a heathen robot deserving the junk parts pile, a.k.a. death. I wonder if they'd be smarter than we humans have been in managing themselves and their various planets.
ReplyDeleteI did not specify...
DeleteI was vague on purpose. I don't know how they'd do it. And that would depend on the story's writer and various other factors.
Yes, the robots are sent to terraform the planet then decide not to let human life on it because they would destroy the work.
ReplyDeleteNow that's a story.
DeleteWhen I think of the driverless cars now operating in Toronto and other areas, I know we will be doomed. They caught one guy sleeping behind the wheel.
ReplyDeleteThey already have laws on the books in California for driverless cars. I don't think I'm ready to trust them yet.
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