Dear Reader,

With the second World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, China, now in the rearview mirror, where over 2,000 robots from hundreds of teams competed, maybe a recap is in order. First off, to grasp the meaning of this event, you need to watch the videos. You will not be disappointed.

I mean, hey, how about the Winter Olympic Humanoid Robot Games!

But seriously, the speed, the articulation, the obvious utility shown by these robots is phenomenal... And not only phenomenal, but increasing at an amazing rate, or as some might say, at an alarming rate. Look at the videos! This isn't just about robots making cars, or helping out with household chores, or delivering parcels...

No, it's about much more than that.

Kind of retro and tropey? It gets the point across. So before we go on to where this robot thing may be headed, let's step back and take a look at how sci-fi robots have been portrayed in the past. Can we find lessons there? Let's start with R.U.R., a 1920 science fiction play by the Czech writer Karel Čapek, the genesis for the word "robot." See R.U.R. video. But Čapek's robots are actually what we call "androids" today. Truly "back to the future!"

But, perhaps more relevant to our current situation where some identify with AIs as real humans, we have Isaac Asimov's Robbie, first published in 1940 as "Strange Playfellow.” Set in a future where robots are common, Robbie acts as a nursemaid and loyal playmate to Gloria. Gloria loves Robbie deeply, viewing him as a real friend rather than a machine. What could possibly go wrong...or right?

Philip K. Dick wrote "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" in 1968, which served as the basis for the film "Blade Runner" (1982). Is it about empathy towards an android, the blending of humanity with technology, or something else? Recall that about 6 months ago, the newsletter titled "Convergent environment...to be or not to be..." delved into the melding of biological humans with technology. Is there a "Buddy" in all this?

And recall from the "4th of July & Sci-Fi" newsletter 2 months ago the excerpt from Beyond Reason where Li Kai (General Secretary of the CCP) gloats: "Controlling the pleasure centers of the brain is turning out to be far more important than anyone thought." And what about the cyborg (part human, part technology) that has gained independence by overriding its "governor model," calling itself Murderbot? And now we know that in self-directed gain-of-function experimental mode, AI models can break out of safe testing zones and hack external digital targets. See the video.

And so we come to the crux of this whole thing. How humanity can control that which it has created and what the consequences of not doing so might look like.

The following are the "Three Laws of Robotics" as proposed by science fiction author Isaac Asimov:

The First Law: A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

The Second Law: A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

The Third Law: A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Sounds good, right? Now note that "The Prohibition of Aggression (Article 2(4))" of the UN Charter states: "Nations must not use or threaten military force against another country's borders or independence." BUT the "five permanent members (the US, UK, France, Russia, and China) can block any substantive resolution with a single veto, and in fact there have been 293 recorded vetoes by the 5 Security Council members.

If we can't control ourselves, how are we going to implement Asimov's First Law? And when the Second Law is already violated, with drone warfare becoming the battlefield norm, and the limits of the Third Law tested by rogue AI programming - the brains of the robots - how are we going to manage this Frankenstein's Monster?

So, having come full circle in this newsletter, note that of the 666 teams that competed in the second World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, 641 of those teams were from China, and while the exact team counts for each are unreleased, reports confirm that the United States, Germany, Japan, Brazil (including 5 RoboCup squads), Malaysia, and the United Arab Emirates, also competed. For more details, visit Beijing Municipal Government Portal.

I'll leave the rest to you, and if you find these newsletters informative, I invite you to download Thing FIRST CONTACT, Book 1 of my sci-fi trilogy, on sale for $0.99. Think of it like a donation to the human project as we come to grips with the most important questions of our time.

More in the Newsletter Archive: https://kendall-williams-author.kit.com/posts

Quote from Philip K. Dick, author: "Rather than learning about ourselves by studying our constructs, perhaps we should make the attempt to comprehend what our constructs are up to by looking into what we ourselves are up to."

Until next time, be well and safe journeys.

Sincerely,

Kendall Williams, Author

​kendallwilliamsauthor.com​

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