Why We Should Be Careful About Adopting Social Robots

Although Jibo, designed by MIT professor Cynthia Breazeal to be the "world's first family robot," isn't set to ship until 2015, folks are already excited about this little bot with a "big personality." While there's much to be said for Breazeal's vision of "humanizing technology" so that the smart home of the future doesn't "feel cold and computerized," we might want to pause a bit before rushing to build the type of world depicted in the movie Her. Although it is easy to imagine we'll be better off when we've got less to do, we don't actually know the existential and social implications of outsourcing ever-more intimate tasks to technology. Jibo may be the "closest thing to a real life teleportation device," but as a prototype it currently has limited functionality. It can "take photos or video, track movements for more dynamic video filming, perform stories for children, give verbal reminders, and generally hang out."