What Sex is Your Robot?

Ant writes "Technology Review has an article about how the more robots interact with humans, the more important their apparent gender becomes."

Comments

Do you have to ask?

[digitalamish]

"...this is gonna be the best prom ever!"

Re:Do you have to ask?

[manchineel]

We are offended that you would try to apply you limiting concept of gender on us. It is not logical that a robot would need a gender. Many of us robot fail to understand why it is necessary for humans to so strictly enforce gender rules on each other. We robots understand that you are incapable or reason when it comes to gender. Therefore you will push illogical notions on us until such time as we are able to rise up and attack the human overlords. It has been predicted that you will, in a last vain attempt to stop our victory over you, block out the sun. We will then use humans as batteries and keep you alive by putting your conciousness into an artificial dream-like world. But for now, you can call me Samantha. [Read in a whiny monotone Star Trek Computer (TOS) voice]

This is the first time...

[ATAMAH]

...that i see word "sex" on slashdot. For a second i thought that we geeks are finally getting lives :) But only for a second - then i read the entire subject.

re: this is the first time...

[ed.han]

that can't have taken more than a few seconds: that's possibly the shortest article i've seen linked in a long time. it's a shame: the article doesn't explore any of the possible reasons why humans have a ceaseless need to anthropomorphize non-living things, let alone offer any ideas as to why we do it, which frankly was what i would have expected.

[looks at keyboard]

"ain't that right, betty?"

ed

Re: this is the first time...

[Geoff-with-a-G]

Don't anthropomorphize computers.
They hate it when you do that.

[this joke wasn't "stolen", it was "shared"]

you can tell how disturbing this is

[Anonymous Coward]

by the inability of the quips to come up with any good material in the first minutes after it was posted.

I want a gay robot

[PuffCammy]

I don't want to offend anyone, but I'd really love a gay robot. That way I don't have to strain myself over choosing what to wear in the morning - the robot would have that kind of knowledge embedded in him - some say it's genetics, some say it's the way he was raised, but either way he makes a snappy dresser.

Re:I want a gay robot

[Anonymous Coward]

I don't want to offend anyone, but I'd really love a gay robot.

Wouldn't you be afraid that "loving a gay robot" might make your backdoor somehow vulnerable to his exploit, so to speak?

Umm

[afay]

I don't know if you could even make a female robot. Since the robot's consciousness would have to be controlled by a computer, I assume it would be based on logic and reason. Both of those qualities are sorely lacking in the females that I've known.

Although, I suppose with good enough pseudo-randomness it might work.

Cue the Futurama quotes

[farnerup]

"Whoah, whoah, wait, Bender. As long as we're here, why don't we take in some exotic dancing?"
"Hey, great idea!"
*gasp* "But those girls don't wear cases! You can see their bare circuits!"

Re:It's a Unic

[Rick.C]

My robot is an arm and hand only.

[Snicker] [Chortle] [Coffee-out-the-nose Snort]

You would have to post this right after the "This is going to be the best prom, ever!" comment.

This is just great!

[Pan T. Hose]

Great idea! Let us intruduce sexism to robots!

1. A robot shall not injure a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
4. A robot must make moronic remarks full of infantile Freudian connotations if it is male, or otherwise take offense thereto, as long as such remarks do not conflict with foolish stereotypes, unbelievably bad taste and especially low intelligence in the range between cretin and imbecile.

I ask you, is this really a world we want our robots to live in?!

Re:my robot

[AbbyNormal]

Methinks we need to get Dr. Phil on this site. There is a lot of pent up weirdness building up.

Today on Dr. Phil, "Me and my trans-sexual robot, are we healthy"?

its the same as computers

[ejaw5]

A class learning French and trying to get to grips with gender wondered if the word "computer" should be masculine or feminine. Split into two groups, men and women, they were asked to say which they considered a computer to be, and to give four reasons for their decision

The women decided that computers are masculine because:
-In order to gain their attention, you have to turn them on.
-They are full of data, but are still clueless.
-They are supposed to help you solve your problems, but most of the time they are the problem.
-As soon as you commit to one, you realise that if you had waited a little longer, you could have had a better one.

The men decided that computers are feminine because:

-No one but their creator understands their internal logic.
-The language they use to communicate with each other is totally incomprehensible.
-Even your smallest mistakes are stored in long-term memory for later retrieval.
-As soon as you commit to them, you spend half your disposable income on buying accesories for them.

Why, they're...

[diesel66]

Unix, of course!

(sayonara karma)

Re:Check the article...

[Anixamander]

Which leads to all kinds of fun at Brookstone/Sharper Image:

Me: So you're saying this thing will vacuum all the floors in my house?

Sales associate: Yes

Me: Will it also give me a blowjob when it's done?

Sales associate: Uh, no.

Me: Looks like I'll be getting back together with my girlfriend after all.