Jest nam miło poinformować, że patronujemy po raz kolejny konferencji infoShare! Z tej okazji mamy dla Was naprawdę ciekawą rozmowę z Joanne Pransky, czyli pierwszą na świecie psychiatrą robotów, a także konkurs w którym do wygrania bilet na wydarzenie.
Infoshare 2020
W tym roku Infoshare odbędzie się online! Organizatorzy zapraszają na 6 dni wydarzenia: od środy do piątku 23–25.09 i od poniedziałku do środy 28–30.09.2020r. Jest to wydarzenie wyjątkowe, bo multidyscyplinarne! Świat marketingu, biznesu i technologii przenika się, a każda ze scen oferuje naprawdę wysokiej klasy prelekcje i warsztaty. W tym roku oferta IT jest naprawdę bogata i obejmuje: frontend, backend, security, deepTech( AI, ML, robotyka), dataTech (big data), it leaders (zarządzanie projektami i zespołami) — zapowiedź agendy możecie znaleźć tutaj: https://infoshare.pl/outline-agenda/.
Sami od kilku lat patronujemy temu wydarzeniu i uważamy, że jest one warte uwagi. Niewątpliwą wartością dla osób z naszej branży jest to, w łatwy sposób pomiędzy prelekcje o technologiach i IT można zaplanować udział w tych o biznesie, marketingu, budowaniu marki — tematach, które nie tylko są ciekawe, ale też przydatne dla każdego z nas. W tym roku konferencja będzie jeszcze bardziej dostępna — bo możesz wziąć w niej udział ze swojej własnej kanapy! Więcej o konferencji będzie na pewno pisać na naszym facebooku, tymczasem, zachęcamy do przeczytania wywiadu z Joanne.
Interview with Joanne Pransky
How did you come with the idea of becoming the World’s First Robotic Psychiatrist? And what were your firsts steps to make it happen?
I came up with Robotic Psychiatry in 1986, as a way to inform the public about robotic developments while also getting them to humorously think about what it might be like in the future to have robots living and coexisting with us that also think and act like us. I also brought alive the main character of Isaac Asimov’s 1950 book, I Robot – Robopsychologist Dr. Susan Calvin. In 1989, Asimov himself dubbed me the real life Susan Calvin.
I was at least 50 years ahead of my time and since there were no intelligent robots available for me to help integrate into society, my mission was to prepare society by creating awareness, as awareness would eventually lead to acceptance. Acceptance (as most of the world was and still may be fearful of robots) I felt, would be the slowest common denominator to reaping the benefits of an inevitable robotic evolution that would soon be increasing at an exponential rate.
To carry out my mission of increasing awareness to the masses, my business model was to edutain (educate and entertain) the public by bringing robots onto radio and television and film, much like rare animals were being brought on to morning and late night television shows. If a picture is worth 1000 words, I thought, then a video of a real robot was worth a million. That was the best way I could prepare the public.
To make it happen, I engrossed myself into everything from industrial robots to the burgeoning of service robots to science fiction – I would read, watch, and learn anything and everything about robots, from robotic experts and sci fi writers, to attending robot trade shows and conferences. In 1987, I did my first radio show and I never stopped pitching ‘robots’ to television and film (I’ve has some successes along the way including bringing real robots and end-users onto the films Ender’s Game and Eagle Eye.) I also worked for an industrial robot company where I learned about the real-world of robotics.
What problems do robots come to you with these days?
So far, it’s not the robots that have most of the problems; it’s people having problems with robots. To emphasize this point, I coined the term Human Operating System (HOS) decades ago. The robotics industry uses a software for robots called ROS (open-source Robot Operating System), but I think it’s equally important to focus on a human’s operating system (HOS) – i.e., what are the ‘programming’/morals/ethics of the people designing robots and the humans using them?
For the most part, I’ve had to fictionalize robotic patients and their probable psychological problems. However, I expect that to change as robots become much more capable and integrated with humans in their everyday environments.
I have recently become an Official Advisor to Professor MariaBot, the world’s first socially advanced AI android built to assist improving education quality. While Professor MariaBot presently doesn’t need a ‘shrink’ (she assists Professor William Barry who spearheads the project in very controlled and careful teaching environments), I do assist with improving her rapport with people.
Living in the world with more robots every day, how can we be ‘nice’ to them? What are your tips to effectively live and work alongside robots?
It is my hope that all robots will be utilized respectfully and responsibly. That also means humans respecting other humans and not using robots directly or indirectly to do their improper/illegal/immoral ‘bidding’ for them. We need to treat our thinking, electromechanical companions with proper care, safety and maintenance. As robots evolve in their appearance and capabilities to look and act more human, we especially need to remember that they are machines and we need to have proper expectations and understanding of both their functions and their inabilities. For example, if we place a non-waterproof robot in the bathtub (the movie Cherry 2000 displayed this brilliantly), we may void the warranty and destroy the robot. This also means understanding that robot behaviors and responses are not the same as humans and may require new terminology to describe robot ‘emotional’ responses. I hope that my prediction of robots needing therapy as a result of human abuse and misuse will not come to fruition.
How would you describe your role? What is the most exciting part of your job?
I would say that the role for my lifetime (or Pre-Singularity) is that of a goodwill ambassador to the robotics industry; a spokesperson/edutainer, and a robotics marketing specialist.
The most exciting part of my job, in addition to witnessing and being part of the robot evolution, has been the people I’ve met. I had the opportunity to meet and work with some of the most brilliant and fascinating biological beings on the planet, from renowned roboticists and engineers to science fiction writers to artists, all who share a passion for robots.
What are today’s challenges for building relationships between robot and human?
I think some of the biggest challenges for building relationships between robots and humans are to increase a human’s experience with various robotic systems so they can learn the reality of robots, while decreasing the negative and inaccurate media depictions.
And what can we expect in terms of AI and robotics in the near future?
In the near future, I would expect the field of robotic psychiatry that I pioneered, to include understanding human behavior (HOS) and ROS, cognitive and neuroscience, and AI. Other futurists such as Dr. Martine Rothblatt have predicted similar fields: “I expect cyberpsychology to become one of the most rapidly growing fields of the 21st century with “cyber psychiatrists” who will ease the cyber’s anxiety of not being completely human. Asimov himself, the founding father of the field of robopsychology, claimed: “Robotic Intelligence may be so different from human intelligence that it will take a new discipline — “robopsychology” to deal with it. That is where Susan Calvin will come in. It is she and others like her who will deal with robots, where ordinary psychologists could not begin to do so. And this might turn out to be the most important aspect of robotics.”
We can also expect in terms of AI and robotics, humans and machines to merge in an effort to improve the quantity and quality of lives. Biology and nonbiology will come together as a hybrid that will extend and augment ourselves physically and mentally. As the pioneering scientist Professor Hugh Herr says, “In this 21st century, I believe humans will become superheroes”.
On our blog we have a lot of readers who are just starting their career, or who decided to change the career path. What piece of advice would you give to them?
Most careers of the future are unknown and they will be everchanging. I think careers of the future will focus on skills such as creativity, communication with other humans and critical thinking. I also think that ‘work’ will be redefined in the future – if robots can do our manufacturing, why not use the profit to provide us humans with shelter, food and healthcare? As Asimov forecast over 30 years ago, “Once computers and robots are doing the dull, mechanical work, the world will start running itself to a far greater extent than ever before. We will be dealing with a world of leisure. Will there be more ‘Renaissance people” as a result? Yes.”
Therefore, I think we should be focusing on what gives us a sense of purpose and passion. Even if it’s something today that you can’t do because of other commitments or because it doesn’t pay the bills, still try to do what you love even if it’s for a few minutes a day, as societies in the near future hopefully will have more time to be creative and to spend more time collaborating with other people on new ideas.
If someone would like to learn more about psychological aspects of robotics what sources (www/magazines/yt channels/conferences) would you recommend?
There is a lot of each out there, especially academic journals and conferences.
I recommend the publication Age of Robots. For conferences, We Robot is one of my favorite.
Konkurs
Jak zapowiadaliśmy, dzięki uprzejmości organizatorów mamy dla Was wejściówkę na to wydarzenie! Prosimy o komentarz z odpowiedzią na pytanie: na wystąpienie którego z prelegentów czekasz najbardziej? Z odpowiedzi wybierzemy jedną, która otrzyma bilet na Infoshare 2020. Na wasze komentarze czekamy do 25 czerwca 2020 roku, do godziny 23:59.
