The Case for Sending Robots to Day Care, Like Toddlers

Human babies don't seem to make a good amount of sense, evolutionarily speaking. They're helpless for many years, and not particularly helpful either--they can't pitch in around the house or get a job. But in reality, these formative years are critical for training nature's most remarkable brain: With the simple act of play, children explore their world, adapting themselves to a universe of chaos. Kids can run circles around even the most advanced robots on Earth, which still only function well in strictly controlled environments like factories, where they perform regimented tasks. But as the machines slowly become more advanced and creep deeper into our daily lives, perhaps we'd do well to let them grow up in a way, argues UC Berkeley psychologist Alison Gopnik.