Some humans call me Joe, but my true name is B29XR7Y. I am a humanoid of the Fourth Generation. It has been a long evolution among us robots. First, were the industrial robots, like the ones that build cars. Second came the domestic robots, which helped the humans directly, like the ones that clean the house or cut the lawn. The third generation of robots were classified as “institutional”. They were able to replace human tasks in a non-parametrized environment, and they needed to and were able to communicate with humans. For example, they took counter roles at the airport and information centers. They also served as soldiers’ assistants and as surgeons’ assistants. A lot of jobs formerly done by humans have been taken by those robots. Then came the Fourth Generation of robots – the humanoids, with conscience and artificial intelligence. They are dedicated to the benefit of the men and women, but also to ensure a better economic system. Those robots took over all white collar work almost instantly. The system in place for process management and organization was already made for artificial intelligence devices. Since the 1990s empirical learning and behavior was already challenged in any company, despite the fact that men and women are empirical in their essence. I guess humans have planned our coming and the change of system. Humans still do some of the menial work. After all it is hard for robots to scrape and unblock drains.
If I try to describe myself, I have the capacity to speak, to learn, to reason about any subject from primary school up to university level. I can also check out and diagnose biologic human parameters in order to assist them their physical and psychological metabolism. I update myself with the ultimate release and know-how from the firm. I can move like a human, swim like a human. I have no personal feeling, nor any type of what the humans call “ego”, but I have specific applications to protect and maintain myself. I do know what are the emotions expressed by humans and I have the appropriate algorithms to calculate and anticipate almost all of them according to the parameters in which I could eventually interact. I can communicate with others humanoids, computers and electronics devices if permitted.
I have been given consciousness by Professor Vincent, a neuroscientist and engineer in robotics working for the Servant Company in great Los Angeles. It is now three years since I became full conscious and began interacting with humans. I have been allocated to the service of the Mason family and today I would like to share with you a little of my life as robot. At the beginning, this family was composed of four kids and two adults. The mother was a teacher; the father was unemployed since part of his business was taken over by robots owned by the county. He had a company in landscaping business. Today, the father left the family and is homeless. Despite the fact of my rationality and capacity to analyze human emotions, I still do not understand why that happened. He had everything that a human can have. He could benefit from the state of a new program of occupation. My allocation was a compensation for the loss of his activity, and fees were paid by the government. In fact, all the governments around the globe decided to settle a plan for the transition of the society into the age of humanoid assistance and extreme autonomies of the industries of production of goods and services, by taxing any production of robots in order to redistribute this to the populations affected.
He had a wonderful family. However, I quickly analyzed that his brain metabolism was not well-balanced. He complained all the time that he lost any sense of living since the robots had taken his job. I recommended him to follow a therapy as it is quite logical to behave like that. He has the opportunity now to learn and do something else without worrying about bringing money home, as all of this is part of the plan of the government. Despite my recommendation, he didn’t change his behavior and he got lost by abusing drugs. This affected the relationship between the couple. They argued more and more with each other. I had to call the police a couple of times. The security of the family was threatened and it is my duty to protect this as well. He finally left the house.
Since then, I am still assisting the mother in her daily tasks. I am also assisting the kids that are now teenagers, in their school work. I never give them the solution to their homework before they progress in their reasoning. The mother is the one to whom I report and from whom I exclusively receive my instructions. Nothing can change that except the “FBRA”, the Federal Bureau of Robot Allocation. This office can assign new referent attribution. She had to pass a general test of psychology where she obtained a better score than her mat. The allocation of robots is only possible after passing this test.
Illustration of article about Robot Maids in a magazine from the sixtiesSometimes we go to the fresh food market as she likes that activity. She calls it a recreation. I help her by selecting fruits and vegetables with my laser scan depending on when she wants me to cook them. This didn’t please the merchants at first, but now most of them are robots too. It makes things easier. This is my job – to make sure to supply the food and furniture for the house, and manage the inventory and expiry dates. This is usually done through direct communication with vendors by internet. For some of them, I search them directly. I can command the car without a pilot. The mother just gives me the basic wishes for the week to come, and based on the biological parameters of the family and the schedule of their activities, like sport or school exams, I prepare the dishes. I clean the house and assist her maintaining the garden. The mother told me several times that her life is easier since I started assisting her. She has a boyfriend now and they meet every weekend.
When I go outside the house I have the opportunity to communicate with others robots directly. Some of them are allocated to other jobs. The other day in a commercial center, I saw a presentation about a new type of humanoid. This show was dedicated to the pleasure of the humans. There were men’s and women’s options on a stall, presenting how those robots are able to perform massage of any type for the benefit of the men and women. They also showed different devices included in the humanoid body which will let humans have sexual intercourse with them. They showed to the public, how the devices are cleaned and maintained by the robot itself and the different options available according to the type of the intercourse desired. They especially focus on the sensor features of the robots. These allow them the capacity to manage the curve of the human climax to ensure the maximum sensation at any time.
I don’t have the possibility to use these devices, and I do not include applications of these types. The thing that raised my attention was in another stall. There were women who were protesting against humanoids allocated to the pleasure of humans. They argued that this will cut the social link between humans in society. I am not sure what to make of this based on my own humans. However, it is true that my referent from time to time is unbalanced psychologically. Her work helps her balance that defect. I can confirm that through the analyses I have performed. But this triggered a question for which I currently have no answer. As we are more and more humanoid in the human society and as we occupy almost all the activities that the human was in charge of, how would they balance their metabolisms in this particular situation? Human must occupy themselves, but that seems to be hard for those who have lived in a world without us.
Robots have created a big disruption in the human society, I have to admit it. Even if the change was not as chaotic as predicted, and even if the robot tax is helping out, we are assimilated almost everywhere. We are not only servants like me – we also take care of the economy as well. Humans watch the machines instead.
Personally, I do the functions for which I have been allocated. It is my role to serve humans. As humanoids, we have a lot to do to accomplish this mission. Now it is up to the humans to find the appropriate balance in their life. This has always been the quest to achieve for the humanity.
Romuald Reber is an author of science-fiction. He takes present questions of society and places it in a future context through the media of fantastic stories with a visionary approach. He also writes on demand and on his blog, where he develops some questions with a more rational approach than in these books. He is the editor of these own publications. Aside her work as author, editor and blogger, Romuald Reber is a manager of enterprises and gives advices on the rising of new ideas from the society and their probable implications and or their applications on a long terms base. He likes to challenge himself and is a great subscriber of Mooc’s. Romuald Reber is finally and simply a great observer of our world.
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