Do you want a robot to be your emotional support friend or reminder to do things?

other minds are on this too...

People with Autism Spectrum Disorder Could Interact More Easily with a Robot than with a Human: Reasons and Limits - PMC

There's a re-run of Isaac Asimov's "I Robot" radio adaptations on BBC radio 4 at the moment.

I have to admit to empathisng somewhat with the robots in the stories as they are presented...

The robot as metaphor for autism and autistic people potentially being more able to communicate with robots/artificial intelligence is one that is not lost upon me.

I am happy to admit robots and artificial intelligence into a framework of sentience and equality (given the 3 laws of robotics...).

I already employ AI to resolve some executive function problems and use representations of people in literature, theatre etc. to satisfy of some aspects of my human communication needs.

Robots "conversational", emotional and dare one say spiritual capabilities don't yet achieve those of some humans I know.  Maybe one day...

Personally I would prefer that any efforts in this direction be first directed towards enabling more people to be equipped to recognise and resolve autistic people's (and wider society's) problems in understanding and caring for one another.

This years Reith lecturer suggests that the greatest problem facing humanity is not global warming or war and disasters.  It is that the greatest human minds are currently employed in working out how to get people to click on social media advertising or some other way to screw the rest of humanity...

No I don't want a robot friend or robot companion that's weird to me. I want real humans with thoughts and feelings not something that's programmed to agree with whatever I say

If they worked properly then there would be no need to threaten them with being frizzbeed would there! Humans whinging at me is bad enough and updates that slow everything down and act like a overtired toddler, why on earth would I want a machine to add to it all the stress and nonsense!

TheCatWoman said:

it would be frizzbeed within hours.

And you wonder why the machines are rising against you!

I think it sounds like a load of patronising crap! Why for women? Why does it need to be cute?

About the last thing I need is another computer assisted thing messing my life up, it would be frizzbeed within hours.

Hmmm I think it looks very cute and I would enjoy this little gadget. I could do with some company. Lately I’ve used copilot as my ai companion 

I think I would find this helpful, as 95% of my time is spent alone so some things I need reminders without the stimulation of other people. I tend to remember what I need to do on the way to somewhere. The thing about all these technologies (as tools) is that they also need in put, if they were actual intelligent and learned what you needed without prompting that would be raising the bar, I think. Obviously no substitute for a real human you like.

Oh definitely...I would love one of these.

I probably don't fit the target market because I'm in my 50s...but just reading the techradar review is giving me a warm and fuzzy feeling towards it.

I hope they're not too expensive and require subscription.

I think I probably would benefit from this but I don't know whether the novelty of it would wear off.