Dateline: July 17 2029
No, it’s not a cage fight between Elon and Zuck. It’s not even a boxing match between RoboElon and AutoZuck. It is a battle though. A battle for market share.
And the winner is you, the customer. Since Tesla launched its Optimus X, powered by xAI, and Meta announced that its AI was behind Figure 09, competition in the market for general purpose humanoid robots — droids — has exploded.
It’s all a question of critical mass, and mass production, which brings down the cost to the end user, just like with electric cars. Droids like Optimus and Figure are a fraction of the price of a new car, and a lot more useful around the house, office or factory.
With lightweight electric motors and advanced battery technology, these droids can work for hours at even the most boring tasks, and they’re stronger than a human of similar size. In dangerous situations, they’re expendable — to save lives.
But it’s the AI systems originally developed for self-driving cars and chatbots that make Optimus and Figure so easy to work with. They understand natural language, and can learn new tasks. You only have to show them, or send them a link to a “how to” video. For a simple task involving recognisable objects, you only have to ask.
Now the battle is raging to dominate this space, and Tesla and Meta are slashing prices to encourage adoption. Nvidia is happily supplying the chips to keep the droids trained. Google has long ago exited the robotics field when they sold Boston Dynamics to Hyundai, but Apple is rumoured to have a secret project to develop their own iDroid.
Whether it’s a question of affordability or features, there are several models to choose from. You’re certain to find the one that’s right for you. These are the droids you’ve been looking for. /First published in Mindbullets July 18 2024
Must love robots
We’re all in love with machines
Dateline: October 8 2028
Love me, love my bot. Yes, it’s true; for many of us, it’s beyond an attachment to a phone or mobile device. But that’s where it started. We grew up with phones, connected to the global zeitgeist, and we became dependent on them. Co-dependent, you might say, as they couldn’t function without us either.
Then came Alexa, Siri and Google, but it was Astro that invaded our living rooms in 2021, and followed us around the house. And who could say no to those cute googly eyes? Which is part of the problem. We humans are hard wired to trust things that respond to us in that way. Just think about your pet dog, for instance. OK, a Labrador is more intelligent than Astro, but still.
Yeah, I know some people in Japan have married their companion robots — even virtual ones — but let’s ignore the topic of sexbots for now. Just think how attached the fanboys and gadgetplayers have been for decades to the latest iPhone or Xbox or custom gaming rig, often giving them names like “The Beast” or similar. It’s not just fun, it’s a psychological phenomenon. And think how quick we are to toss out the old device in favour of a new one. Like instant divorce, with no recriminations.
A decade ago, people even got seriously involved with their Roombas, and if the device collapsed, so would they. It’s not just because it’s so cute when your cat takes a ride on the smart vacuum, giving you great Instagram material; you also appreciate that it dependably keeps your floors clean. You trust it like you would a long-serving domestic helper, so it becomes part of the family.
And that’s the problem with robots and trust. As long as they work the way they should, we’re happy to trust them. But if they behave irrationally, or worse still, get hacked and spy on us, that trust can evaporate in an instant. Which can be traumatic for kids, so be prepared for some robo-counselling when things go wrong.
But for now I’m in love with my home bot. And for the companies who make them, that’s great news — and big business. /First published in Mindbullets October 7 2021
• Despite appearances to the contrary, Futureworld cannot and does not predict the future. The Mindbullets scenarios are fictitious and designed purely to explore possible futures, and challenge and stimulate strategic thinking.
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