Why robots and artificial intelligence creep us out

People tend to accept robots with humanlike characteristics up to a point. Then, things get strangely uncomfortable. Robots have appeared in film for more than 100 years, with the first depiction occurring in the silent film "The Master Mystery," starring magician-turned-wannabe-actor Harry Houdini. Previously referred to as "automatons" before "robot" became commonplace, these metal machines have been portrayed as delightful helpers à la C-3PO and WALL-E and as villains, like the T-800 from "Terminator" or VIKI from "I, Robot." Whether a robot is "good" or "bad" isn't the ultimate indicator of whether we fear them or not.