The Posthuman Robot

Jibo, in contrast [to humanoid robots], is more of an abstraction. Almost a foot tall, weighing six pounds and wirelessly connected to the Internet, it has a moveable LCD screen that in demonstrations displays an expressive orb, but not a human face. (NYT)

Many people expect that better robots will be more human, but it stands to reason that they might be a bit more like the iPhone -- superficially simple, making "intuitive" motions and expressions, but not properly human ones. All of which, I suppose, could be interpreted not as a simpler alternative to humanoid robots, but a sort of preparation for the nonhuman or posthuman character of robots.

In other words, it would be a mistake to equate "better" robots with more human ones.

Which type of robot should cause more worry is an open question, though. The humanoid robot causes human beings to fear the loss or transference of their humanity. If a robot can be "humanoid," then what is distinctive about human beings? On the other hand, if a robot can be fully "functional" and not humanoid, then its functions need not be those of human beings. All the more reason to be concerned about what those functions might be.

Perhaps the only clear thing is that functional technologies indicate the presence of merely functional human beings. The ease with which small children familiarize themselves with the iPhone and iPad indicates nothing other than a certain receding of the adult intellect to the capacities of its childhood.

The picture, in other words, is nothing but propaganda. A carrying case, an espresso cup, hardwood floor, . . . and a robot. The espresso cup, however, is empty. The fine things of the earlier era are useless. The simple, abstract, posthuman robot isn't the odd one out. For the modern human being, it's the only thing fitting.