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

Iain

I saw this AI powered gadget that is claimed to provide emotional support and/or reminders to perform executive functions (take pills, drink water, wash etc):

https://www.techradar.com/ai-platforms-assistants/sharps-poketomo-targets-millennial-loneliness-with-a-glowing-meerkat-robot-ai

  • Poketomo is designed to provide emotional support, especially for women in their 20s and 30s
  • It combines cute design with conversational AI and syncs with a smartphone app to maintain a continuous relationship

I note other webites are talking about it being of use to dementure patients who need help reminding them when to take medication or for upcoming events.

I have no connection to the company by the way, but reading what people post here I can see some finding it of interest.

I wonder how much use this would be for autists with loneliness issues or executive function problems?

Would you consider something like this?

Parents

  • 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...

  • in reply to Phased

    I find the idea of talking to AI weird as I worry a lot about who is getting my data and how it might be used. If it was guarenteed it was private I'd feel a little more secure. 
    But I love Sci -fi and Asimov was such a prophetic writer, I am swayed a little thinking of it this way. 
    (Going to find the radio 4 show as strangely I-robot series was one I didn't get round to reading.)

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  • in reply to Phased

    I find the idea of talking to AI weird as I worry a lot about who is getting my data and how it might be used. If it was guarenteed it was private I'd feel a little more secure. 
    But I love Sci -fi and Asimov was such a prophetic writer, I am swayed a little thinking of it this way. 
    (Going to find the radio 4 show as strangely I-robot series was one I didn't get round to reading.)

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