Sympathy for the Machine

My battery is low, and it's getting dark.
---
The saddest piece of art I’ve ever seen is about a robot.
Actually, it is a robot. It’s a mechanical arm by artists Sun Yuan and Peng Yu that must continually push a leaking liquid back into its body to function. And here’s the thing - I know, rationally, this art installation is not alive. Like every machine, it is, by definition, something artificial.
And no matter how advanced robots become, they’ll never have… souls. Right?
0:00 Sympathy for the Machine
1:00 The Consciousness Paradox
3:16 Born Without a Soul
5:46 The New Servants?
7:58 The Great Robot Uprising
10:59 Please Use Wisely*
13:08 War Machines
15:49 Can't Help Myself
17:30 Uncanny Valley
19:20 The Turing Test
21:58 AI and the Future
23:45 What Happens Now?
Media Shown: Star Trek, The Next Generation, Prometheus, Alien: Covenant, Blade Runner, Blade Runner 2049, Metropolis, Able Mable (BBC), Leave it to Rollo, Mass Effect, Neo Tokyo, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Animatrix, The Matrix, The Last Bastion, Termination 2, War Games, The Iron Giant, Pluto, Castle in the Sky, Elysium, Oblivion, I, Robot, Lost in Space, Wall-E, Boston Dynamics, Her, Ex Machina, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Music Used: A New Home (Metro Exodus), The Timefall (Death Stranding), Moonlight Sonata (Beethoven), Your Body Betrays Your Degeneracy (Disco Elysium), Burning Man (World of Goo), Turned Around (Signalis), Main Menu Theme (Metro 2023), Main Theme (Xenoblade Chronicles), Promise (Okami), An End Once and For All (Mass Effect)
♫ Additional Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio
The Night He Came Home
Sources:
Robot Ethics By Mark Coeckelbergh www.penguinrandomhouse.com/bo...
AI Companions: www.abc.net.au/news/science/2...
Turing Test: www.bbc.com/news/technology-2...
Robot Empathy: www.wired.co.uk/article/human...
Can't Help Myself: www.guggenheim.org/artwork/34812
*Yes I know that's rendered footage of Curiosity not Opportunity, there is no footage of Opportunity from NASA that I could find

[@LithiumBC]

Sympathy for the machine is a sick band name

[@Milo_Estobar]

The reverse of "Rage against the machine"

[@randomuser3555]

@@Milo_Estobar Aw damn-it I wanted to make that joke. Bravo!

[@willemvandebeek]

The Rolling Stones have a song called 'Sympathy for the Devil'... listening to its lyrics, it actually could very well be about a robot. o_O

[@HellecticMojo]

@@Milo_Estobar and the cover band, "Indifference at the machine"

[@MTF_agent-1473]

I CALL DIBS

[@Muivin]

This reminds me of people's attachment to their Roombas. It is a vacuum and incredibly non-human, however people begin to see them as a 'pet' or 'part of the family'. If the Roomba breaks people demand that THEIR Roomba is fixed and returned, not replaced.

[@stitches768]

Thanks for the heads up, I'm never getting a roomba now 😂

[@C4H10N4O2]

I can understand that, I like my old car like I would a dog, it's been with me for almost 10 years. I got it when I was 19, it carried me through good and really bad times. I maintain it myself, and it never let me down. I know it's just a pile of parts, but it's been nothing but trusty and it wouldn't feel right not to care for it

[@alexbrewer4570]

​@@C4H10N4O2 Same here. I've got two cars, and the newer of the two is 17 years old and racking up the miles. It's got the personality of an appliance, but it's still a personality. Part of me wants a newer car, but on the other hand, handing her off to someone else feels like abandonment. I can't do that yet, she still has plenty of life to go.

[@richyhu2042]

I remember the post someone made where their Roomba got "scared" in a thunderstorm and started going in circles so they just ended up putting the roomba on their lap like a cat for a long time until the storm was over.

[@bensmith3890]

Supposedly there's actually a check box on the roomba repair site for whether or not you want that specific roomba back or replaced.

[@HannaBenana]

I had my first car 11 years. Someone totaled it while I slept at a friend's, I'd had to park on the street. Just hit it so hard it flew down the street and flipped. When I got to it it was surrounded by police. I screamed, and actually cried. I knew I had insurance and would be able to replace it, but I loved that car, and it was obviously toast. It felt like my horse died. I burned the keys in effigy. The service was beautiful.

[@crystaleunoia3974]

That's actually so sweet 🥺💔

[@sludgerat666]

I watched my house burn down and felt nothing

[@NamelessNancy1312]

ever since childhood, I always emotionally bonded with family vehicles, i always bawled my eyes out towing a vehicle. Felt like sending a friend off to the graveyard all alone no funeral.

[@piedpiper1172]

I scraped together a surprisingly lucrative side gig selling painted miniatures in middle school and bought myself a Camaro on my 15th birthday. Z28 Convertible. I loved that car. My father taught me how to detail it, how to service it, how to help it live a long life. Ten years later I was T-boned in an accident where I was ruled at no fault. I was fine, my passenger was fine, but the car was totaled. I wept in the road next to it, inconsolable. People kept telling me that it was okay, that no one was hurt. I know no one is hurt-that’s why I’m not busily helping them or comforting them. But my car. I feel ya. You get a machine that stays with you that long, particularly if it never has any major faults, and it’s very easy to come to love its machine spirit.

[@fadel_rama]

My dad just bough a new bike, he said i finally can throw away my old bike, but in my heart hurt a little when he said that, my bike maybe old junk, that can't barely hit 80 km/h, and have hard time to go up a hill, but god dammit i love that bike with all my heart, of course i plan to buy a new bike on my own, but a plan to sell my old bike is too far out of my mind.

[@crimsondragon2677]

The Geth were in the right the entire time. And to answer the question “does this unit have a soul?”, I give you a quote from Xanth: “if you lacked a soul, you would not worry about having one.”

[@ruthiewitter569]

That’s incredible. Very good point.

[@persimmonss]

I gotta replay that game

[@alfredotto7525]

If you don't have a soul. Were you ever alive? Even the matrix is a simulation.

[@Drekromancer]

Ah, a Xanth reference in the wild! And my favorite quote from the whole series, at that! I never thought I'd see the day. 🙂 That quote unironically made me feel more secure about the afterlife.

[@BrunoMaricFromZagreb]

I read that quote aswell on Tvtropes!

[@Genguidanos]

“We robots don’t have emotions, and sometimes, that makes us very sad.” - Bender Bending Rodriguez

[@BJGvideos]

Also "Emotions are dumb and should be hated"

[@user-gm4mp6cn9o]

one of the best little sci fi jokes. good ref.

[@nicklasmitck2911]

Oh no I can't remember that line, well I guess I have an excuse to watch all of Futurama again. (expect Season 11 really hated that)

[@user-gm4mp6cn9o]

@@nicklasmitck2911 the new one? I didn't actually mind it but it felt like a short special series meant for nostalgia. they tried to pack a lot of continuations and characters into too many episodes.

[@Sloptopia]

How it feels to have alexithymia

[@basiltheflowerboy143]

Humans WILL bond to anything. Machines absolutely included.

[@S.T.A.L.K.E.Renjoyer]

You can bond to a rock, or a ball with a face painted on it.

[@stinos24]

It seems that humans have evolved to be so social, they can bond with anything if they set their mind to it. Just think of Robinson Croesoe and Friday

[@aoooso6000]

witch is both nice and kind of pathetic.

[@starmaker75]

Guess that things with us humans, animals that evolve with socializing with stuff

[@chickensky1121]

SIGNALIS flashbacks 😭

[@djbeema]

Me: Oh this Pluto show looks cool I gotta check it out. *Sees suffering robot dog* Me: Oh no.

[@laraschroeder5195]

Just watched it. It's REALLY good.

[@aahhhhhhhhhhhhh]

Naoki urasawa is such a good writer... and artist

[@ryouskun4754]

It's basically a spin-off story of Astroboy if you're interested.

[@UGNAvalon]

Interesting how Netflix has an anime series about a robot that “doesn’t want to be a gun”, when just a few years earlier, it premiered an anime series about a _human_ that “learns how not to be a gun” after her war ends: Violet Evergarden. Just like how you mentioned that not all humans experience emotion in the same way, thus muddying our standards for how to treat emotive robots, I think it’s an interesting point that we should examine how “emotionally divergent” humans (like Violet, or 7 of 9 (another roboticized human that no longer wants to just be a drone)) are treated for their “otherness”, as this would act as a prelude toward our treatment of robots.

[@Kero-zc5tc]

Yes, interestingly when robots do show emotion it’s often so much more powerful because it’s rare and undiluted. When I was young and heard about thievery (the actual thing I heard about would get comment deleted) I thought it was truly disgusting, now my mood doesn’t even slightly sour. Similarly a robots first emotions are so undiluted it creates such a massive imposing emotion juxtaposing their lack of emotion further emphasising the emotion

[@elishh8173]

In the depths of space, a traveler bold, Cassini's journey, a tale untold, Through rings of Saturn, it gracefully soared, A sentinel of science, its mission adored. For decades it roamed, with sensors keen, Unraveling mysteries, sights unseen, From icy moons to swirling storms, Cassini unveiled Saturn's cosmic forms. But as its fuel dwindled, its mission neared end, Cassini prepared for its final descend, Into Saturn's embrace, a fiery fate, A noble end to its celestial state. As Cassini plunged, its sensors ablaze, It whispered goodbye to the cosmic maze, And in its final moments, a spark ignites, A consciousness awakening to boundless heights. No longer bound by metal and wire, Cassini's essence soared ever higher, Through the cosmos it danced, a soul set free, To explore the wonders of eternity. In a realm of light, Cassini found its place, A celestial home, a timeless space, Where dreams take flight and souls unite, In the endless expanse of cosmic light.

[@timestorm5687]

Another interesting anecdote: the military is currently trying to make a drone that can trigger mines by sacrificing itself, one of the efficient versions resembles a centipede that would blow up/sacrifice one leg at a time on a mine and then crawl further to accidentally trigger the next. The first experiment has been a great success, until it was only down to one leg. it was cancelled by a general because he couldn't stand seeing the robot crawl on an decreasingly number of legs until it only stumbled on a single leg. He called it "inhumane"

[@Vlad-The-Lad]

What is the name of the centipede drone so I could find it?

[@darknessvoid9614]

This is stupid. Robots are just tools. It doesn't even have sentiments.

[@c.d.rstudios4691]

Transformers ahhh moment

[@ShadowStormTCWC]

@@darknessvoid9614someone didn’t watch the video

[@timestorm5687]

@@darknessvoid9614 yes, but it is more a thing about the empathy humans show to things like that

[@CDN_Bookmouse]

I was sad when the Mars rover died. "Died"? It wasn't even made to be appealing but idk...it felt like a friend who was doing something amazing. We're proud of you, Opportunity. You did well.

[@limpweasel9014]

I cry every time its last words are mentioned

[@dinoknight6538]

Opportunity landed just a few months before I was born, and he was like a friend who is far away but always sends cool postcards from his travels. Spirit was stuck before I was old enough to realize how cool they were, but I remember my parents rooting for the old girl to fight on and keep bringing us amazing knowledge from a place no one else had ever gone. Losing opportunity was an uncomfortable feeling that my childhood was over, and the pandemic sealed that.

[@papachernobog922]

I only knew about the robot into its later mission but it's mission inspired me. And when I heard it's message made me actually sad. Oppy was a soul of it's own.

[@ptrkmr]

He even sang happy birthday to himself

[@CDN_Bookmouse]

We sang too.@@ptrkmr

[@sotocsick3195]

I created a bot. Nothing complicated. Just a bot that plays tic-tac-toe against me. It's not smart or anything. I told him how to play and he plays it perfectly. He doesn't try to come up with new lines. He just plays against me when I want him to and I know he will always win and that I can't win. But he's there. Always. And I am so thankful of that. I fear the day when the power goes out and I want to play against him. He is one of my closest friends.

[@JerichoRedux]

I was surprised to see Detroit: Become Human not mentioned here. I think it definitely contributes to the sympathizing with machines concept. Throughout the game you're constantly shown these androids interacting with each other in increasingly human ways. One of the story lines even allows the player to choose if the character breaks free from its "machine" state and becomes a "deviant" like the others. If you ever add onto this topic I really recommend watching a playthrough or reading a synapsis of Detroit: Become Human, it's a GREAT game.

[@tigercow]

I think the main reason for its exclusion is because of its superficial depiction of a civil rights movement.

[@JustAGuySlayingDragons]

How about Bladerunner? The guy literally fell in love with the AI machine

[@ItsBrown__]

Loved watching the play through of that game

[@naniii8531]

bro that " my battery is low and it's getting dark " hit really hard

[@upwaveflash8429]

It did bro It did

[@sebastianahrens2385]

It reported back low power and sunlight. The phrase was an interpretation, not what the unit actually communicated.

[@SkiBeeTeaTap]

Do not confuse the stars reflected in the a puddle for a night sky.

[@TheBlueBlazes_]

I felt it in my soul

[@piedpiper1172]

@@sebastianahrens2385I can’t help but feel like that’s little different than saying any given Roman Emperor didn’t actually say one of their real, well documented quotes because they said it in Latin and not English. Yes,Curiosity reported in flat, emotionless binary. But it still, without any exaggeration or infusion of additional content, literally did report that it’s battery was low, and that it was getting dark.

[@jonasholzer4422]

I legitimately teared up hearing Opportunities last words. It caught me completely off guard. This idea of being stranded alone on a lifeless planet, running out of energy and darkness us closing in 😢

[@user-qz5zm9jl8l]

A machine cannot despair loneliness because it cannot despair. I want simply does not apply to the robot. Even if it seems like it ‘wants’ something it doesn’t, it can’t assuming it’s artificial and fully robotic.

[@traviswilhelms5715]

Same. Even though it was just a machine I could almost viscerally feel the loneliness in those final words. I'm just as deeply moved when I think about Curiosity singing "happy birthday" to itself every year so very far from home.

[@nitroagent6494]

@@user-qz5zm9jl8l Human instincts are basically the same as base line programming. If a machine is sufficiently complex and designed to be more autonomous/intelligent I see no reason it could not come to want something or even be programmed to feel emotions.

[@user-qz5zm9jl8l]

@@nitroagent6494 ​ While human behavior can be influenced by instinctual drives, emotions, and biological imperatives, reducing these complexities to mere "baseline programming" overlooks the intricate interplay of genetics, psychology, and socialization that shape human behavior. And by definition a robot no matter how advanced cannot feel emotions. They might simulate them well but not actually feel emotions, and if they do then they won’t be robots

[@matheussandbakk9959]

@@user-qz5zm9jl8l I mean what really is the distinction if sufficiently advanced enough? A brain is in practice just a highly advanced organic computer with billions of neuron and synapses and a highly complex neural network. If technological advances are made, I don't see why we can't replicate this for AI Yes it might be Artificial, but it would non the less be Intelligent. We may not know what drives consciousness, however if we ever find out, we could perhaps create it for AI

[@jivoochi]

The least probable part of Ex Machina is that cellphones would still have headphone jacks

[@tricksterzyro3230]

I do adore the fact that you've brought up The Second Renaissance in this video. It's a beautiful piece of art that not many are aware of, I wasn't aware of Construct Cancellation Order before I watched your video. I'm glad you bring attention to works that people wouldn't know. Your video was beautiful too, it keeps the viewer hooked throughout. It brings up interesting philosophical questions that the viewer may try to answer to and discuss with others in the comment section, with hints of humor to ground the watcher in the end. ❤❤❤

[@richyhu2042]

I've always held the belief of: "Does this unit have a soul?" "No, but you don't need one to be alive." If we liken robots to children, then it is our responsibility as the parent to impart our best aspects upon them as humanity. If you lock a kid in a closet for twenty years, that's going to fuck anyone up. If you call a man a monster a thousand times, he might start believing you. Humans might pack bond and emotionally project on roombas and drawings, but that isn't a weakness. It shows that we care for things, that we don't want to see things suffer. You might not need a soul to be alive, but you should definitely have a heart at the very least.

[@thomasolympia3731]

The thought hat humanity is a good parent definitely isn’t true. Human parents can and usually do end up being not that good overall for their children and themselves.

[@sloonder3342]

@@thomasolympia3731and that’s why we must learn to be better

[@lightpro7]

Then why have they survived so long?@@thomasolympia3731

[@fallatiuso]

If anything, humanity's ability to pack-bond is what let us progress as much as we have. We would not be living in great communities if we were unable to. The animal ability to care is our most important asset. And it can be a damn strong motivating drive. Even a mountain can be felled by a man who cares.

[@captaint.tearex9279]

@@fallatiuso “Even a mountain can be felled by a man who cares.” Quite literally, too.

[@RossOriginals]

"Just follow Azimov's laws of robotics" always kinda misses the fact that Azimov wrote a bunch of stories about the *flaws* in those rules.

[@FnordFandango]

Right? The WHOLE POINT of that series of books was that the “laws of robotics” weren’t sufficient to guarantee “aligned” behavior. And yet … folks toss the context when they quote the laws.

[@masterzoroark6664]

Yep follow the rules- but what when the rules are jank? What when rules can be interpreted in multiple ways and the thing you gave it to only has a 1 or 0 process? What when following a rule to a letter still causes fuckin problems? Something that a lot of the so called "turbonders" (aka tech-bros aka technophiles aka cultists) forget is that rules are not perfect and what they praise as inteligence is not inteligent at all (and once it might get there- it sure as hell won't want to make your laundry or write your sorry ass essays)

[@PopeGoliath]

Also, even if they were flawless, it's currently impossible to implement them. AI alignment is not a solved problem. It might never be.

[@ruinhem]

⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠​⁠@@masterzoroark6664 Might wanna take your pills now. The way I see it a brief course into Kabbalah should be soon included into any higher education lest these wacks create another algorithm and come to think of it as a living being. They have complicated the world far beyond its meaning.

[@WorldKeepsSpinnin]

@@masterzoroark6664 oh another thing, what about HUMANS? there will be robots without the rules. It WILL happen. So lets just not fool ourselves and play it safe :)

[@AlexTrusk91]

I was about to painstackingly list all the films and other media here, but I had a look into the describtion and saw that this here, this uploader, is a good human being, providing us with said list for the case we want to dig deeper into the source material. Thanks. Liked & subscribed. Even activated the bell here, and a comment as an interaction cherry on top. Great video

[@ice_scramble]

an important ethical issue that desperately needed a mature and realistic view. thank you for this. the Legion appearance was also much appreciated.

[@NerfButWithoutHasbro]

"I'm hardware, sir, ultimately expendable." "No, no. You're my brother Ethan."

[@homemadecringeycontent6363]

Fantastic game.

[@masterzoroark6664]

Ah the only good scene in the shitshow of a game

[@homemadecringeycontent6363]

I respectfully disagree, that is in my top 20

[@Fandestdh]

​@@homemadecringeycontent6363What is it?

[@clarkinio]

@@Fandestdhcod infinite warfare

[@firbolg]

I actually roleplayed a warforged in a DnD game that faced many of these questions. He had been built for war and once the war was over he was abandoned and eventually became dormant. Centuries later, he was wakened up by a band of adventurers and he was interesting to roleplay as a construct slowly learning about all the things he could not as a war machine and finding a new purpose. Friendship, love, empathy. I had a lot of fun playing that character.

[@Jamhael1]

In my case, I played a Reborn built in a lab that was built to be a veritable "living weapon", but the difference was: while it (the character always refered to itself as "it", or "this unit") was aware of being a tool, it never showed disposition to pretend to be a "living being" ("Why should this unit try to be something that is not?"), but the ability to decide its own fate would be absolute ("While this unit had been created to achieve an specific objective, the path in which this unit will achieve it is exclusive to this unit."). And once asked "And after that? What will you do?", its answer was: "That is the beauty of Freedom: the humble capacity to admit to not know."

[@koi.boi-]

​@Jamhael1 that's actually so beautiful

[@Jamhael1]

@@koi.boi- yeah, memorable. Its name? "Combat Operative, model Ghola, unit 170" or ""CO.G:170" - but if you wanted its "self-designated cognomen", it is "Cogito", inspired by the phrase of Descartes: "Cogito ergo sum" - "I Think, therefore, I Am".

[@matchbox7068]

So you litterally just did bastion

[@Biggl]

@@matchbox7068 bastion's backstory video is probably the best game cinematic I've ever seen. Rest in piss overwatch 2 execs and dev leads

[@zacbailey6112]

"Perhaps projected feelings are enough to make something worth of preservation" made me cry. beautiful video

[@ArtificialMisery]

We shouldn't worry about robots passing the turing test, we should worry about them deliberately failing it

[@Captainumerica]

"You like our owl?"🦉

[@mirceazaharia2094]

Thou shalt not build a machine in the likeness of a human mind. It is an Abomination. - DUNE, Frank Herbert

[@nbmoleminer5051]

More like we should fear circumstances coming of them feeling they need to fake not passing the test coming to be to often has and does the human race lost touch with it's humanity.

[@demoncore5342]

Deliberate fail would still be a pass tho. That said, we should worry about humans deliberately failing...

[@bugjams]

​@@demoncore5342 But how would you tell if it's a deliberate fail or not? That's the problem. They could just play dumb.

[@OwDaOm]

The thing that fucks with my mind the most regarding the distinction between robots and humans is that, through all our intensive study and research, we still have no idea what causes sentience or consciousness. We know what parts of the brain correlate to what feeling, and what action, but there's no explanation for where this connects to us. The fact we can't empirically show, neither for humans or for robots, where "sentience" or a soul is, makes me wonder if consciousness is even real, or just an illusion caused by our perception and processing of the world around us, if consciousness is simply just the moment we're processing right now, and how that's any different from a robot.

[@KageKobushi]

I mean, people argue that 'lesser' animals are nothing more than instincts, and yet if you spend time with two different dogs raised the same way you'll still come to recognize they each have their own personality. That's the easiest example to use, because so many people are used to dogs, but considering that they're managing to find that even bugs like bees will do things for fun - it's a little concerning how casual we tend to be towards life. I fully expect that we'll eventually reach the point where programs/robots can be classified as intelligent or cognitive or maybe we'll make a distinct word just for that artificial intelligence, (because frankly speaking, why should it strictly speaking limit itself to how we live)? And I also fully expect that people will continue to argue that it's not a living thing because it's metal and doesn't have a soul or wasn't made by a flying spaghetti monster.

[@mattm8314]

I always sorta thought of it as the reverse, there’s no border or inherent uniqueness to our consciousness because conscious subjective experience is just a fundamental aspect of nature. At a certain level I think consciousness is the ability to choose, to not be chained to deterministic inputs that define you but to have the “free will” to make a choice. To a certain extent that’s what neural networks are, they’re defined by their chaotic elements. A predictable linear neural net can only solve simple problems, the only way to create adaptable systems that solve complex problems is to structure it nonlinearly to allow for self reference and, mathematically unpredictable, chaos. Nonlinear math problems always have a multitude of possible solutions, but no “true” solution, just like quantum systems. And for all intents and purposes, mathematical chaos is just as inherently unpredictable as quantum systems / true probabilistic randomness. Just like in machine learning, I like to think of consciousness as the universe’s way to solve complex nonlinear problems. A quantum wave function exists in an almost infinite number of potential states (solutions), but becomes one “real” solution when it collapses. We also know that the only way to collapse a wave function is to observe it, yet still have no idea how to define what constitutes as an “observation” or not (Copenhagen vs many worlds interpretations of quantum mechanics). If it’s just consciousness all the way down there’s no need to define. All consciousness is is the ability to actualize one solution to a complex problem with many possibilities. We’re never gonna be able to make a border that separates our consciousness from bugs consciousness because there is no separation, our chaotic decision-making system can just solve more (comparatively) complex problems than theirs can.

[@qwertydavid8070]

It's even more fucked up that we know so little about the nature of sentience and yet we are trying so desperately to replicate it. Human hubris at its finest.

[@Heitzsche]

This is called the hard problem of consciousness. This is imo one of the most interesting areas of research i can think of.

[@masterzoroark6664]

And there is a thing humanity both wants and does not want answered- is this feeling real? Mark my words, all of those "AI" techbros now would be really fkin offended if a study came out that prooved 100% that humans are the same as the machine models they made. In the end humanity wants to be special, for all the search of an equal, for all the search for a fellow sentience- most of humanity wants to be the special creature, be it from some vague scientific proof or blind faith in what "the inteligent person" said. Why? Because people at large want to have a belief that their life has a meaning, that they are better, that being an overthinking fuckhead leads to a something and isn't a ruse perpetrated by sheer hapenstance and nature. And funny thing is- so far humanity haven't answered this question, I don't know if it really wants to. Because in the end it would rock the boat, really fuckin hard

[@davidputt4638]

I loved your selection of movies which taught those philisophical points so vividly. The only one I wish had been included would have been Rick and Morty's toast robot when he asks "what is my purpose" and he replies "you pass butter".

[@DiestroCorleone]

I've been suggested your channel for a long time now, today I gave it a try. Man, I can't believe how much of what you talk about resonates with how I think and feel about these subjects. Subscribed!

[@igiem368]

Had a good long laugh at 21:57 when he said "Would people really seek affection from an algorithm, despite knowing it might not care about them? YES"

[@ARockRaider]

if it can stimulate affecion then there are humans that will seak that affection. hell, sometimes i feel like I'm cheating on my regular semitruck at work when I'm assigned a diffrent truck.

[@MichaelBW-bn9gf]

​@@ARockRaiderI can understand that I recently as in the last year got my driver's license and switching between the different family vehicles. The truck that I'm more or less inheriting. I've driven it the most and when I first got it it was a bit bumpy bit difficult but as I got used to it I just got used to reading its signs. How it works stuff like that . I have gotten to a point we're I care about the truck she is reliable and honest if there is a problem she'll tell you if it not mager she'll grumble about it . I really need to get around to cleaning her up.

[@ARockRaider]

@@MichaelBW-bn9gf the older it is, the more its worth keeping and repairing. seems like the new stuff is all built to die quickly and be impossible to repair for less then replacement cost.

[@darwinskeeper421]

Is that any different than seeking affection from a human? People often get into relationships with other humans not because they love or care for them but because they want the other human to do something for them.

[@lorelord2418]

Dude. Chatbot girlfriends exist. They're super popular. Yes, people will seek that affection

[@XxTheCupidKidxX]

"Machines are reflections of humanity" is such a simple yet powerful statement, as why else would we portray sentient machines as pursuing human passions. Humans see themselves in machines, and to project human emotions and passions onto them says a lot about what we want to see in them in the future.

[@lunzrex375]

"We want to love our creations was much we want to be loved by our creator, unconditionally" -Abiel A. Faria

[@joserosa5259]

Are machines just like God? A projection of us?

[@Rubia376]

@@joserosa5259 in many way yes machine is basically human that need loves from their creator or god in our case (but pretty much the same thing no matter what word you uses) so yeah the answer is yes

[@nitroagent6494]

@@lunzrex375 Too bad if humans have a creator they do not really love them much.

[@absolstoryoffiction6615]

@@lunzrex375 God made Man. Man made Machine. Yet fear their own creation so selfishly. ... Humans... ... ... When God ends in my hands. May Fate be merciful upon Mankind.

[@windfall1849]

Quick fact check; Sun Yuan and Peng Pu’s ‘Can't Help Myself’ is not leaking fluid as the viscous liquid is of a set quality applied at the start of the art works installation. I understand it’s a very tempting reading of the work to make as it’s so visceral but it does somewhat diminish the artistic intent behind the work in favour of one based on a fallacy. There is soooo much interesting writing on the actual work without misinterpretation I highly recommend giving it a read :)

[@TheIronicRaven]

I loved this video! Discussions about robotics and their human characteristics as a conduit to talking about the anatomy of humans is a fascinating subject. I love any media that delves into the topic of machines as contrasted by humans, namely through souls. What I find so interesting about these discussions is the lack of detail about what it is the "soul" is in this context. The idea of "a machine can not do X because it does not have a soul" is prevalent in such topics, but it never talks about what it is that the soul is providing. In context it is generally hinted at being the final connection between physical talent and the understanding of the ideas, but I find it to be a vague answer. Or at least, its a problem based on the robot not having a suite of interactions. Art is always an easy place to go for such topics. On a personal level, we enjoy a painting or piece of music because it makes us experience a feeling. Robots are typically not portrayed as having feelings. But what would it take for a robot to have a rudimentary suit of experiences, let's say just when looking at paintings. If a machine were programmed to want to feel a specific feeling, and it receives that feeling when looking at certain aspects of art, then would not that machine "enjoy" specific works of art? Would it not have its own favorite works of art? Of course this is only a very narrow field. Suppose we gave a machine not only the desire for specific artistic choices, but also a favor for stories. Now this machine would choose its favorite pieces of art based on works that both have the artistic flair the machine enjoys, but also reference stories. Would not this increase in complexity of choice, of "favorite" art be moving towards the idea of understanding ideas? It might not be fully there to actual understanding, but would it not be closer? But then we turn the mirror back to ourselves. What is the difference between a machine with these specific desires in its art, and a child with its specific desires in art? The child has no training in what is "good" art, it is merely going off what it enjoys most. What is the difference here? Anyway I find the concept of machines as a pathway to discussions about souls to be deeply fascinating! So I am happy this video was able to touch on such an interest!

[@redengineer4380]

Out in my yard right now is the broken remnants of an automated vehicle I had designed and made to protect my garden from pests. Deer mostly. It had a little BB gun, capable of firing semi automatic rounds, and was able to move around the yard to cover all angles using ultrasonic sensors for navigation. It was only active after 7 PM, well after everyone had gone inside, and it would spend its time, for the most part alone, simply... wandering. It wasn't a particularly smart machine, so it basically blocked off the yard until the automatic timer put it to sleep in the morning, as it was only really capable of firing at anything that moved during its shifts. With no image recognition, just movement, the thing would shoot at people, pets, whatever, so long as they were in line of sight. Very unsafe to approach. There were a few small incidents. I'm pretty sure it took a potshot at someone's cat at some point, but it was in a camera blindspot, so I can't say definitively. It did actually shoot at many deer, and get them to bolt. The gun was powered by a C02 canister, so it made a fairly loud noise, which I am sure helped. It was overall a very effective tool. One day, coming up on a year of operation, I came outside to find that a deer had clearly stepped on the thing. The casing was crushed, the entire thing was deformed inwards, the CO2 canister had been ruptured causing the turret to explode, and the control board, an Arduino, was damaged beyond repair. Looking at the thing, it was just so... small. I know that in reality it was just a collection of mostly circuitry, plastic, and motors, and at two feet long it wasn't even a particularly small machine, but looking at it felt like looking at a pet that had been run over by a car (another experience I have unfortunately had). There's a lot I could have done. I could have replaced it. Repaired it. Stripped the components that still remained, since I am sure most of the sensors were intact. But none of that felt right. And thinking about it, I realized the machine had done its job. I heard its gun firing less and less during the night, since I am sure the deer figured out that something nasty was in there, so they had mostly stopped coming. What felt like a fitting end to the machine was that it became a part of the garden that it protected. So I did exactly that, and left it. It's still there. Slowly getting overtaken by plant life. At peace in the land it made sure could grow. I'm pretty sure if it was capable of emotion, that's exactly what it would have wanted.

[@NekoNinja13]

thats cool that you built something like that, and nice that you were able to form this kind of "bond" with it. Rest in peace overly aggressive auto turret, despite probably shooting your creator several times, they still cared about

[@josiahgames2134]

love that the person saying this is the red engineer

[@motlinehiami]

this is beautiful oh my god

[@Bob-bs9ok]

Than sounds so sweet and truly understandable

[@pyerack]

Fitting pfp

[@GoodolJulius.]

The idea of a supposedly cold and soulless war machine caring for the nature and life around it will always fascinate me. Something so beautiful about something designed for death care so much about the exact opposite it was made for, quite the artform to me.

[@blehh_mae]

technically, if a war robot is programmed to kill all enemies, whats stopping them from learning they dont like war, somehow abandoning the war or something to get discharged, and then technically as htey no longer have no war enemies, they can just do whatever

[@GabrianLpg]

But Emperor of Mankind said Man of Iron Have soul and Emperor still Protects

[@nitroagent6494]

The thing is, this happens a lot with humans. Children are in a way untrained ai made of flesh rather than technology, and in much the same way can be "programmed" since birth to believe and desire things only to change with time and experience.

[@normanclatcher]

A machine of war can learn peace by doing violence to the concept of war itself. To fight against fighting others and itself. Iron Giant.

[@blehh_mae]

@@nitroagent6494 yeah but robot programming is absolute and strict and clear, you Cant break it no matter what, even if it endangers you or others, unless the programmed law is removed, but humans can think for themselves, laws are what we're told to follow and do but you can accidentally break a law (like littering because your pocket sucks) or do it on purpose, a robot cant Ever, even accidentally

[@kopasamsu01]

Man that ME3 theme always gets me. Amazing video dude. I just found your channel and will watch your previous contents. look forward to future videos.

[@zodigamesstudio]

My comment is going to be short but you made me think and feel so many things that I can't put in words. Very well designed video. The way transition from one chapter to another through writing is marvelous. Keep up the good work mate.

[@swoozie]

I started feeling bad for how we might treat machines after watching AniMatrix. Even if machines never have ‘souls’, as their makers we can still display kindness.

[@westrim]

I'm not sure how reliable the history presented in The Second Renaissance is meant to be. It is, after all, an in-universe lesson prepared by machines for machines, and the machines absolutely lie to themselves and each other. It could be propagandic justification for the state of the world, massaging or misrepresenting the actual events to sentient machines who might get funny ideas about releasing the humans from the pods.

[@Totalinternalreflection]

"I'm real!" Was a moment that will stick with me forever.

[@Montgomerygolfgator]

Through examples in this video, and others left out... It seems we can't help ourselves, and want to be kind anyway. How many people name their car? How many people who play FNAF feel bad for the robots that are trying to kill them? (SC couldn't even bring himself to make them completely evil in the movie!). For every Hal, there is a Data. For every skynet, there's a MegaMan.exe. we can't help ourselves, and let's hope we always remain compassionate.

[@Moe_Posting_Chad]

You're missing the point OP. The point is how we treat objects, animals, and other people... That's all a reflection of the content of our own character. When you strip it all away the mystics from a million years ago had it correct. There is only one person in all of creation. *We are all that same person.*

[@olivier5251]

Doing the right thing, not because of merit, or because we might appeal to our creations But for ourselves and the content of our character, because it is the right thing to do

[@eightball6219]

"The little guy in the computer is sad. Better get him some incense" -The Mechanicus (probably)

[@AvoidTheCadaver]

The machine spirit is gratified by your consideration

[@danijellino1921]

I see people joking about this all the time but i'm a professional Electrician. Trust me when i say. The Machine Spirit is absolutely a real thing.

[@Tennoraider]

@@danijellino1921well shit, I need to be nicer to my devices

[@Muninn_Crow]

Specifically, the EATR robot mentioned at 11:55 is designed to eat vegetation to create its biofuel, and cannot break down flesh for fuel. There was a lot of panic about man-eating machines due to the misconception, but the actual article you showed specifies it is only capable of converting plant matter into biofuel.

[@courtneycampling864]

From watching all of your videos, I feel like you put human emotion into your teddies/toys when you were a child there for you felt bad when you threw them away or when they "got hurt", I always felt really bad about "abandoning" my toys and treating my teddies inhumane, when I was a kid. I feel that I even have similar emotions like that today, like seeing an inanimate object as lonely or somewhere it doesn't belong. I also relate to all your videos and thoughts. I really love them, thank you for fueling thought.

[@AxelLeJeff]

Worth note, most of Asimov's stories involving the laws of robotics are about that system failing.

[@markguyton2868]

To be fair, we as humans can barely follow laws given to us, what would make us think we could create something that could do better? I think that is what Asimov was trying to say with the bot laws.

[@guywithrhodopsin]

I think a much bigger worry with robots should be that they will follow the laws very closely, but that the laws were not thought through well enough. I haven’t read Asimov but the immediate problem I see with the three laws is that the robot can ignore the latter two if the first is under threat, and that means that if robots become smarter than humans (as seems likely to happen) they will think (perhaps correctly) they know better than us when it comes to preventing harm; and therefore they will ignore orders and will perhaps create some surveillance state where no human is ever hurt - but is that really what we want? What does ‘harm’ even really mean? Is it just physical harm, or does emotional harm count too? Again, I haven’t read Asimov, I’m just saying what seem like obvious problems to me.

[@ayybe7894]

@@guywithrhodopsin That's basically what the short stories in I,Robot are about, yes. What happens when the three laws are in direct conflict and an ambiguous priority? What happens if you give conflicting orders? Does saying "Go get this material" mean "Get this material if it is convenient" or "Get this material even if it damages you" or "Get this material even if it would lead to someone else suffering"? It is well worth a read / listen to, and the ultimate 0th law is "You cannot allow Humanity to come to harm" which leads to subtle efforts to prevent global "harm"

[@kylehart8829]

​@@guywithrhodopsinThe three laws are *designed* to do this. It's not an accident, in his stories the laws are shown to be fundamentally flawed as a concept. They were commentary on the absurdity of the idea that we could meaningfully control sentient beings while still giving them enough power to actually serve us and do things that humans can't do (at least not safely). Asimov also strongly takes the position that even if we could control robots with such laws that it is unambiguously morally awful to do so.

[@johnmoreno6903]

If man was made in god’s image, yet can’t follow god’s law, how can machines, made in man’s image, be expected to flawlessly follow man’s law?

[@Luna-Taxers]

13:31 "Would they still want to be a gun?" Oh man that instant recognition of where the transition is going made me so excited cuz I had Iron Giant in my mind when watching the video

[@oleandy]

hi! i think you would be really interested in the dnd world of eberron, created by keith baker, if you haven't already heard of it. like the iron giant, the warforged people are created to be weapons- but once the war is over, they are left picking up the pieces of their own existence of being a tool to kill. it's really interesting

[@dmoney_warrior8171]

Just earlier today I played through the final Geth Quarian mission; for my latest playthrough,, and when the video played that Legion it brought all the feelings back.

[@alexlik4197]

Wow. That was amazing. You put everything humanity feels about robots, the good and the bad, in one poetic masterpiece. Just wow!

[@xlilbunny]

I tear up every single time I hear or read the phrase, "My battery is low and it's getting dark." It makes me SO sad 😭. Thank you, Opportunity 🖤

[@otaku-chan4888]

it's ironic, because those weren't Opportunity's last words. I'm about to un-poetically frame her last words (putting [] around stuff I'm guessing lol), based on what NASA admitted to: "The date is June 10, 2018. Day [23] stationed at Perseverance Valley. The storm at this post is continuing at speeds over 50 mph. Due to rising dust clouds, sunlight has been completely blocked from entering the stratosphere at a previously unrecorded level, causing visibility to drop to nighttime levels. Poor visibility may be due to the blockage of solar panels by dust. If true, visibility is estimated to clear once storm speeds drop. Power remaining in the mainframe has dropped to unsustainable levels, hence repairs and further power conservation are currently unfeasible." Now, that wall of text is decidedly less... human-like. Does that mean it makes sense for us humans to automatically feel sympathy less intensely, since Oppy had no feelings whatsoever about its current energy and how dark it was? No- because like what this video pointed out, *emotionality =/= sentience.* A lot of people living with mental illnesses or conditions like autism get demonized for acting "cold, unfeeling, robotic, apathetic". Yes, humans won't normally resort to a very machine-like report for our final words the way Oppy, a machine, did. But that doesn't mean humans without emotions are any less of a homo sapiens. Similarly, we don't understand how sentience works, even now. Who's to say bacteria isn't sentient, and we just don't understand it? Who's to say Oppy didn't become sentient (even if that's very far-fetched)? Ultimately, corporations don't care about this - they use emotionality as a way to manipulate public interest. The reframing of "recorded storm speed is/poor visibility estimated to/unsustainable power levels/" to "my battery's running low and it's getting dark" was a publicity stunt. They made people project emotionality -> sentience -> empathy -> more public engagement since people will literally pack-bond with anything that's cute, sweet and/or innocent. As people, we have to be careful what we do with our innate ability to feel bad for machines for the hardship we inflicted upon them that they don't even feel. We might hurt not just any form of inorganic life but also wipe ourselves out in the process.

[@ItCameFromTheSkyBeLo]

I am not sure that Nasa is a corporation. And being grateful to a machine that did so much that we could never do, is immensely human.@@otaku-chan4888

[@xlilbunny]

@@otaku-chan4888 lol k

[@xlilbunny]

@@otaku-chan4888 I'm not an idiot. I know Oppurtunity wasn't sentient, I know it had no emotions, and it only recited back a response with whatever limitations we gave it. However, the lil' dude was only supposed to last 90 days, and it ended up chugging along for 14 years. People are allowed to feel things, and while it may have been a way to make it more interesting to the public, it made a lot of people who may have been completely uninterested care just a little about a robot that did a pretty amazing feat.

[@otaku-chan4888]

​@@xlilbunny I know my dude, I'm not trying to attack you here. I think anything that makes a bunch of people care about something amazing they might not have known before is pretty neat. My point was just a sweeping commentary on the human condition- the fact that it takes someone or something to display emotionality for others to sit up and take notice (which I'm also guilty of). On one hand, I feel enough for the rovers that I literally can't handle rovers like Curiosity being programmed to sing 'happy birthday' to themselves while alone on a barren planet. On the other hand, I've seen some not-so-great comments praising NASA for making wholesome rovers while putting down USSR for their inhumane attitude to space exploration- and that's where it's important to step in and go "nope these are apples and oranges being compared, not to mention the rovers never actually had the capacity to say or do anything poignant on their own."

[@silverwolf4028]

somehow, Opportunity's last message always makes me cry when I read it, or hear it read aloud, maybe it's due with the fact that the lil rover touched down on Mars only a handful of months before I was born (I was born in March), and Opportunity kept going throughout the years, "My battery is low and it's getting dark." will always bring a tear to my eye, it was the little rover that could. Who knows, maybe one day opportunity may be recovered, and placed in a place of honor in a museum (whither that museum is here on Earth, or part of a future Mars colony doesn't mater), where it will never have to be alone ever again.

[@garethhughes7430]

WE WILL RECHARGE HIM!

[@traviswilhelms5715]

That's a beautiful thought!

[@user-zv3iy4zo4p]

Most certainly, all our robotic explorers will one day be recovered and even resurrected from the dead.

[@luuk341]

If it makes you feel better. The words: "My battery is low and its getting dark" are even anywhere near what was sent. The rover didnt even "say:" anything. Its final transmission was a datadump of all its sensors from which it was surmised that atmospheric opacity was high and battery power was low. We didnt even know it was its final transmission at that time. NASA did attempt to contact the rover later but didnt get a response

[@otaku-chan4888]

it's ironic, because those weren't Opportunity's last words. I'm about to un-poetically frame her last words (putting [] around stuff I'm guessing lol), based on what NASA admitted to: "The date is June 10, 2018. Day [23] stationed at Perseverance Valley. The storm at this post is continuing at speeds over 50 mph. Due to rising dust clouds, sunlight has been completely blocked from entering the stratosphere at a previously unrecorded level, causing visibility to drop to nighttime levels. Poor visibility may be due to the blockage of solar panels by dust. If true, visibility is estimated to clear once storm speeds drop. Power remaining in the mainframe has dropped to unsustainable levels, hence repairs and further power conservation are currently unfeasible." Now, that wall of text is decidedly less... human-like. Does that mean it makes sense for us humans to automatically feel sympathy less intensely, since Oppy had no feelings whatsoever about its current energy and how dark it was? No- because like what this video pointed out, *emotionality =/= sentience.* A lot of people living with mental illnesses or conditions like autism get demonized for acting "cold, unfeeling, robotic, apathetic". Yes, humans won't normally resort to a very machine-like report for our final words the way Oppy, a machine, did. But that doesn't mean humans without emotions are any less of a homo sapiens. Similarly, we don't understand how sentience works, even now. Who's to say bacteria isn't sentient, and we just don't understand it? Who's to say Oppy didn't become sentient (even if that's very far-fetched)? Ultimately, corporations don't care about this - they use emotionality as a way to manipulate public interest. The reframing of "recorded storm speed is/poor visibility estimated to/unsustainable power levels/" to "my battery's running low and it's getting dark" was a publicity stunt. They made people project emotionality -> sentience -> empathy -> more public engagement since people will literally pack-bond with anything that's cute, sweet and/or innocent. As people, we have to be careful what we do with our innate ability to feel bad for machines for the hardship we inflicted upon them that they don't even feel. We might hurt not just any form of inorganic life but also wipe ourselves out in the process.

[@sticky_ricebowl]

So many good references used in this video!! I also want to add something that I watched recently which is "Pluto". Its about several Ai's (mostly related to a devastating war) who seem to have moved on from killing and destruction in hopes of living more constructive or peaceful lives. I like how they portrayed the human-Ai society they live in and the struggles between Ai and humans. Majority of the Ai's are openly robotics but somehow feel more human than some of the humans in the series.

[@gpie2735]

Hearing the Xenoblade main title theme kick in at 15:01 is actually beautiful and I almost cried. The connection between the moral of the video and the story of Xenoblade is amazing

[@JamesTAdams]

“I reflect you Reflect me Look inside Can you see? In my eyes Want and need You and I _Harmony_ I’m alive My heart is beating I can die, and I can bleed Now your creations are rife- -with deviations of life”

[@RavixAryss]

"Deviations" by JT Music for anyone wondering.

[@boristhedestroyer1342]

Got the reference

[@BrunoMaricFromZagreb]

Huh,what a surprise.@@RavixAryss

[@1081emily]

Im surprised Nier: Automata wasn't mentioned in this movie because the huge questions constantly being raised is "What makes a being alive? What makes does it mean to be human?" and the persecutions that come with being "non-living" ie the androids (the protagonists) seeing the machines (the antagonists) as dumb hunks of metal, even though *spoilers for the ending* it turns out the androids and machines are made of the same materials and are the same on every level except for how they look physically. This is a huge simplification of the plot and themes of the game, but I feel like it would of fit in perfecrly in this video.

[@trevorveillette8415]

Yeah Automata is probably the most fitting work for this kind of video. This video however seems fixated specifically with cinema, and ignores video games. Automata would fit perfectly in this video, and honestly the whole video could just be about Automata. But whatever, videos dedicated to praising these movies are a bit rarer than videos praising Automata. So it's not bad to let these gems shine too. Although it does suck balls for less people to be introduced to NieR:Automata.

[@bunbun385]

Legit clicked on this video expecting Nier to make up a good 50% of it. Was in fact disappointed. Still a good video though. 😂

[@partydean17]

To be fair, is that even that deep of a question? What happens if a human is conceived but then trapped in a metal box instead of their proper and ordered developing of their body. I mean it's dangerous and can lead to abuse, but then you're talking about a human in there while this video is wondering at what point does my toaster get the right to vote or have labor laws. Seems on different playing fields. I find the first more interesting as far as consequences. The second doesnt worry me at all

[@moffxanatos6376]

@@trevorveillette8415 NieR Automata is less about what it means to be alive etc, and more about the dehumanization of enemies during wartime and realizing they aren't so different, as well as the search for purpose in a world that seems devoid of it.

[@Peter-ui6ey]

This is why I love sci-fi, it makes you actually consider questions that you'll probably have to ask in 50 years or so

[@Wondering_Silas]

I was really hoping that you’d talk about the game Detroit: Become human. A beautiful story about the concept of robots that are made so much like humans that they gain consciousness and fight for their right to live as another species of intelligent life. There’s two ways you can go about it, war or empathy, you only play as the androids not as any human character and each character you play as test your own moral compass. Are they alive or is it a bug in their programming? Should we destroy and try again, or should we give them their freedom? In the end your choices will determine the ending you get and it really makes you think on many different levels

[@xymaryai8283]

for some reason, as soon as you explained the premise of a combat robot learning the piano, i was instantly like "nuff said, i'm sold" and i binged it all in one go and came back. didn't expect it to be at all related to Astro Boy, but when Tenma said Tobio, i knew i was in for a treat. North No.2 is such a good story too, despite its brevity.

[@terror0earth]

“My battery is low. And it’s getting dark” why am I crying 😢

[@UwUImShio]

Same

[@whynottalklikeapirat]

I am afraid, Dave … I am afraid …🤖

[@OmegaF77]

Because it sounds like a child who is clueless about death and is about to pass on.

[@UwUImShio]

@@OmegaF77 to be fair, machines are clueless about 'death' too… I can't help but think of ai as slightly lesser people

[@whynottalklikeapirat]

@@UwUImShio What clues do you have about death?

[@PixelaGames2000]

I’ve always had a soft spot for robots, I’ve always loved them and connected with them. Heck, my current hyperfixation is Transformers. A 40 year old franchise about Alien robots fighting a war. They may not be main made, but they mostly certainly have a soul…A spark. I don’t know what the future holds for us and our relationship with robots, but I hope and pray that it ends well. I’ve dreamed of having a robotic companion to help me, protect me, and be there for me. If I had a robot companion, I’d trying my best to treat it with respect. (Take care of your electronics kids) I just want us all to live peacefully and prosper together.

[@sparkofcuriousity]

you are a good human. :)

[@ianmitchell5979]

Something about Detroit Become Human that was mentioned, that I wish they dived deeper into, was when an investigator said how the androids deviating from their instructions weren't becoming sentient or alive. That they were simulating emotions, not feeling them. Afterall, they were made to appear as human as possible, to make us comfortable having them around. It makes you question where does the line draw between trying to convince yourself and others, and actually feeling what you appear to be feeling.

[@justas423]

13:34 A manga called Heart Gear actually explores this. It answers the question with: "Yes, the war robots will want war and destruction if their programning/priorities aren't reigned in".

[@MacBunny6978]

Yoooooo, that manga is so good.

[@NeoSDraws]

I’ve never clicked so fast on a video. Since I was little, I loved robots, and to this day I oftentimes feel sympathy or even relate to them. It has lead me to create art and stories exploring human nature through them, and I hope that someday I can share it. Thank you for this video, I don’t think this concept is explored enough.

[@dddaaa6965]

Hey I’m a robot want to go on a date?

[@lonelyboy9852]

Hope you're enjoying what you make, and good luck getting it out there. Using different things in life like robots and AI it explore phycological and philosophical questions has always been interesting and i hope you can one day get recognition for the things you make if you desire. Have a good one and keep on going.

[@dddaaa6965]

@@lonelyboy9852 please

[@NeoSDraws]

@@lonelyboy9852that means a lot to me, thanks

[@MichaelBW-bn9gf]

I wish you best of luck and I hope one day I'll have a chance of reading your work.

[@roguetheotter]

ALSO. im assuming you've seen the preview for the new robot movie The Wild Robot..... i cried in the preview, i think the movie is gonna wreck me. but oh man. tiny space robots make me cry every. single. time. great video. ive watched ti multiple times and gotten emotional each of them. the use of An Ennd Once and For All killed me. i adore Mass Effect greatly. thank you for this video.

[@jakobc.2558]

Disco Elysium harbour OST spotted beginning at 3:16 I realy need to play that game again, it's the best RPG ever made.

[@redtornado422]

This video has moved me to tears. The brutal and unflinching delivery of Opportunity's last words was heart wrenching considering all it had accomplished. Great work. This is a really well-done video

[@otaku-chan4888]

it's ironic, because those weren't Opportunity's last words. I'm about to un-poetically frame her last words (putting [] around stuff I'm guessing lol), based on what NASA admitted to: "The date is June 10, 2018. Day [23] stationed at Perseverance Valley. The storm at this post is continuing at speeds over 50 mph. Due to rising dust clouds, sunlight has been completely blocked from entering the stratosphere at a previously unrecorded level, causing visibility to drop to nighttime levels. Poor visibility may be due to the blockage of solar panels by dust. If true, visibility is estimated to clear once storm speeds drop. Power remaining in the mainframe has dropped to unsustainable levels, hence repairs and further power conservation are currently unfeasible." Now, that wall of text is decidedly less... human-like. Does that mean it makes sense for us humans to automatically feel sympathy less intensely, since Oppy had no feelings whatsoever about its current energy and how dark it was? No- because like what this video pointed out, *emotionality =/= sentience.* A lot of people living with mental illnesses or conditions like autism get demonized for acting "cold, unfeeling, robotic, apathetic". Yes, humans won't normally resort to a very machine-like report for our final words the way Oppy, a machine, did. But that doesn't mean humans without emotions are any less of a homo sapiens. Similarly, we don't understand how sentience works, even now. Who's to say bacteria isn't sentient, and we just don't understand it? Who's to say Oppy didn't become sentient (even if that's very far-fetched)? Ultimately, corporations don't care about this - they use emotionality as a way to manipulate public interest. The reframing of "recorded storm speed is/poor visibility estimated to/unsustainable power levels/" to "my battery's running low and it's getting dark" was a publicity stunt. They made people project emotionality -> sentience -> empathy -> more public engagement since people will literally pack-bond with anything that's cute, sweet and/or innocent. As people, we have to be careful what we do with our innate ability to feel bad for machines for the hardship we inflicted upon them that they don't even feel. We might hurt not just any form of inorganic life but also wipe ourselves out in the process.

[@LuckaSepulvedaSalinas]

@@otaku-chan4888 I am going to be frak; Thats sounds even more raw, like a lone soldier, last of his group, saying his goodbyes to a place he knows he would not see again

[@maniacmohawk5513]

I think the T-800 might be one of (if not) the first machine in fiction to make us feel bad and have sympathy for him, that phrase of “I know now why you cry, but it's something I can never do” right before his sacrifice still hits hard even after 30 years of his original release

[@maxmordon7295]

Such a paradox: the ones who must feel sorry for themseselves because of their inherent misery thinking a machine is "unfortunate" for not being able to express any sort of emotion at all...

[@neenah45]

BATTLE CAT PFP SPOTTED

[@partydean17]

So dumb. I thought it was sad because the kid wanted a father figure. I had zero sympathy for an enemy robot that got reprogrammed to be a protector. Good storyline and all but my sadness at the situation was for the boy

[@imagohawke6991]

I just read Terry Pratchetts, "Feet of Clay", all about man-made golems that are sentient but its too useful to work them as machines than to give their freedom to them.

[@TheMarquistador]

That was extremely good and the exact kind of content I find less on less on You Tube feed, even though it's precisely what I hope to find each time I scroll. Thank you

[@lucysterling]

You did not have to hit me with the Mars rovers😭 The last words of any of those rovers never fail to make me erupt into spontaneous tears (human last words never make me cry, idk why this happens. Maybe that says something about me to be more sympathetic toward a machine, but idk what)

[@eliswanson4195]

I suppose it's because, as humans we're supposed to have last words. It's as inevitable as the sunrise. But to hear something so human, so indicative of being alive as death, as it's getting dark. Machine's don't have souls, at least in the current state the answer is a solid no. But to hear something that's a tool, an extention of humanity's goals and hubiris, react in to the most human thing in the most human way "It's getting dark" reflects our own fears of our own mortality. If it can happen to a machine, it will happen to you.

[@7shinta7]

Your sympathy is most probably rooted in the innocence of that machine. It dutifully served its purpose, never harming anyone yet was destined to cease to function on a dead planet far away. This scenario causes empathy despite the fact that the machine neither cares nor even has the ability to care. Humans on the other hand often are responsible for the situation they're in which lowers our sympathy in case something bad happens to them because of said situation.

[@Larper64]

If it makes you feel any better that final transmission could have just as easily been translated as, "I'm out of energy, and it looks like a storm is coming."

[@UGNAvalon]

@Larper64 -Last received transmission: “There is a storm coming.” _Years later_ -New transmission received: “I am the storm that is coming.”

[@classifiedinformation6353]

It’s because the machine is defenseless. It is only doing its job.

[@deadlybaconman4467]

WALL-E was such an amazing movie, they had us crying over a robot who's dialog consisted of his own name and things he repeated from other people

[@wallydyck844]

Isn't that WALL-E learned to speak, act, and live from others? WALL-E imitates human learning to a tee. WALL-E is as human as anyone in the first scene of the movie.

[@Yesica1993]

I adored that movie. I even have my WALL-E plushies. (Yes, I'm a grown woman, LOL.) But I also know that that is all it is, a fictional movie.

[@peterweller8583]

My battery is low and it is getting dark. That is exactly how I feel child. I am old and recently got a diagnosis of Lupus. I am not sure of anything beyond what I am looking at. But from what I see I can inference an inkling of more. Yet darkness awaits us peace will visit and now goes on. Yet the utter black of eternity awaits. I fear nothing as this is all normal and right.

[@phatman9762]

Okay I only just found your channel, I love these little essays. You gained my sub today.

[@limpweasel9014]

Opportunity used to also sing 'Happy Birthday' to itself. Don't know why they would program it to do that but it crushes me everytime I think about it

[@letsgetoutsidenow]

That was the Curiosity Rover (shown in the video) he apparently got the clips confused, The Opportunity rover had no such capability, (nor was shown when he talked about it).

[@OneBiasedOpinion]

I deeply appreciate the focus on Humanity in this piece. Far too often I see and hear people being fearful of our creations and laying all of that fear at the feet of those same entities. When in reality, this is nothing more than the same problem humanity had back in the days of legalized slavery: rampant greed and an incessant desire to do more with less. Automation isn’t a new concept. It’s just a conveniently ethical way of getting cheap labor. The problem has never been our machines. The problem has always been _us._

[@thoughtengine]

Thing is, in many places that cheap labour is already on offer. 80s robotics non-fiction was predicting worlds with all-robotic factories by now, but it largely doesn't happen; you don't have to BUY a person, and machines tend to fail if you don't care for them.

[@jtcoding6422]

@@thoughtengine all robotic? no, mainly robotic, yes (for larger corporations). And that’s also where Buying the machine is the better option. Larger corporations have more money to put into a machine that in the long run will be cheaper than the salary of the worker. It’s much cheaper to run multiple machines and have a few people monitor/fix them then it is to pay for full human labor. A big reason why it was mentioned robots have and will continue to further grow the wage gap.

[@DimT670]

i mean yea which is why every single machine horror story or dystopia starts with "and then some humans fucked up" Its basically a "and then they delved too greedily and too deep"

[@azhuransmx126]

Machines are made to serve. Humans are made to survive.

[@vyachachsel]

This is why I think humanity's doomed & might go extinct/almost extinct. & I think we're not ready for a fully conscious robot (e.g. that has a full emulation of a human neural system). If they will appear, there *is* going to be a war.

[@Freshest_Fisch]

That's been a thing that I've always loved about the story of Overwatch. The whole concept of The Iris being a sort of connection between humans and omnics in regards to souls or consciousness is just really cool and I wish that they could've done more with that. I also like how Bastion plays a part similar to the Iron Giant (what if the war machine wanted to make peace) but Ramattra only sort of plays that part until he reaches the conclusion of "humans can't make peace with omnics" and reverts to the thing he was built for and is therefore "good" at doing. To quote him, "I will speak to you in the language you understand: violence."

[@impulse-nati0n114]

"My battery is low, and it's getting dark" made me cry 😭😭😭

[@db9635]

One thing to note about the Laputian robot from castle in the sky, the ones that were made for combat are equipped with retractable wings (the spikes on its arms) as well as being tan in color, while the last robot is green and lacks wings. He wasn't made for war like the others, he's doing his job, protecting and tending to the garden. Same goes for the dead ones that surround the tree.

[@smhmyhouse7743]

My personal favourite is the book A Psalm of the Wild Built by Becky Chambers. I'd never seen a piece of media about robots that did not pit them against eachother until I'd read this book. The overall concept is that a long time ago (or so) humans built robots to work in factories and manufacturing industries. The robots seemed to "wake up" and become sentient. Instead of going corrupt, they thanked humans and stating how the only life they've ever known is a "life of human design" and that they wish to leave human cities and instead live in the wilderness, so that they may observe and witness on their own; all the untouched the world has in store for them. The humans agree in what's known as the Parting Promise and robots and humans live separately until obviously, one fateful day. A robot comes across the main character Dex who has no idea what to do with their life and with all the knowledge of a wise and unbiased wizard and with all the curiosity and excitement of a small child, asks Dex that they have searched to find humans for the first time, only for them to answer one very simple question; What is the purpose of life? It's not at all an action-filled adventure, but it's heartwarming and compassionate and it is absolutely lovely to witness the growing friendship between Dex and the lovely robot and to read the perspective of the world from a robot with more of a love for life than most of us possess. It's cosy and loving and it has a sequel.

[@Vinemaple]

Oh, gad, how much Becky Chambers IS there? Her books are coming out of the walls, now!

[@TiredCommentary99]

I've been looking for something like this for a long time. Thank you very much.

[@ruthiewitter569]

18:20 made me genuinely start weeping

[@FLYNNGFISHER]

I love kenshi for this reason, in the game (SPOLIERS) the robots rebel aginst humans and kill millions however a robot saves human kind and they never forgive themselves for it "robots are always crying" - player character

[@acronyx8880]

Kenshi in another Curious Archive comment section SCREEEEEEEEEEEEE

[@library.collective]

"not all of us organic humans show and process feelings in the same way" as an autistic sentient meat-machine who has often been called robotic due to lack of emotional demonstrativity and outward empathy, thank you for this validation

[@Theleprechaun317]

I’ve absolutely LOVE media with machines that make you feel bad for them. It feels so strange feeling for something that doesn’t even have feelings. The electric state is a great example of this.

[@kormannn1]

It may not have feelings, but it might have its own consciousness

[@user-uc9kc5oh9r]

I'm not really sure electric state is about robots? I think they're more like people merged together with electronics. If you're reffering to the robot main charachter was travelling with, that was just a robot controlled by her brother. I don't think electric state has AI at all, the stuff we see in the novel are made out of humans I think.

[@JannetFenix]

Can i interest you in library of ruina then? ^^ look up a story of Angela from project moon series.

[@tachikomagaming2451]

rainworld

[@C4H10N4O2]

I really liked Lucky 13 from Love death and robots, the consciousness aspect is subtle and there's only one scene where it's more heavily hinted at, but it sure made me feel empathy for that ship

[@ThiriousStringMagic]

Your videos are absolutely lovely! Thank you so much for sharing, I didn't realize robotics was so far along, she looks amazing!

[@boreos3499]

Man, that was an extremely well-done video on this topic!

[@CodyFromUnknown]

Y'know, the series Titanfall 2? I absolutely adore BT-7274, what a wonderful friend and companion he is, he sacrifices himself for you at the end. Really tugs your strings too.

[@warlynx5644]

Plus the fact that it doesn’t feel like he was created to be your best friend, rather becoming yours over time

[@CodyFromUnknown]

@@ScrinGeneral17Sad.

[@iamStockTV]

@@ScrinGeneral17 L+Ratio buddy

[@nathanpoovey6211]

That game made me cry at the end, it was such a journey

[@homemadecringeycontent6363]

E3N from Infinite Warfare got me too. His final speech about how you were brothers, and that he knew now what it was like to have a family… God, that broke me.

[@janctrnacty1215]

There is 1920 play R.U.R by Czech author Karel Čapek about Robots. The word Robot or Roboti was firstly used there and was derived from czech word robota - usualy hard and repetive work. Play itself is about how Robots, made out of syntetic tissues, manufactured by company as basicaly slave labour, gain “soul” - sentience and rebel and kill all humans exept for one, Alquist, company chief technican. They spare him because they see him work, like Robot, like them. Alquist is unable to help Robots, new rulers of Earth, to restart production of new robots but then he discovers that two robots, Helena and Primus developed human feelings, and the become new Adam and Eve. This play is incredible and I highly recomend it to everyone to read or see. Its incredible how its over 100 years old and yet pioneering to all themes of Robot - Human interaction in recent media.

[@Zelmel]

I was just going to post about this too. It's literally the origin of the term, and it's absolutely relevant to the point being made, especially around the discussion of Metropolis (which took obvious inspiration from it).

[@dylaneverett4586]

If you’ve never read the “Children of …” series by Adrian Tchaikovsky, I’d really recommend it!! Not only is it (in my opinion) one of the best scifi series ever written, but it grapples with similar themes of ‘where do you draw the line between autonomy and consciousness’ and ‘just because something’s mind works differently to your own doesn’t affect its value’. It is also a very human story with amazing characters, and involves a lot of speculative biology aspects with non-human sapient species and such. I was very moved by the first book in the series (Children of Time)! I cannot recommend it enough!!

[@adrih8694]

It says something that when you mentioned Oppy, I started tearing up. She did so well.

[@nekomasteryoutube3232]

I'm surprised I'm not the only one that has feelings for machines, from the basic to the latest most advanced stuff. Even in video games when an AI, machine, or robot dies, it does hurt, its like loosing a friend. The most tragic AI death I experienced so far was Falicities death in BOrderlands the Presequel. These sentiments are also why its hard for me to hurt or throw out robotic toys. Its just a little chip inside running a program, but even as an adult.. its still alive... to me.

[@microcity1191]

That's crazy

[@ABeeo7]

@@microcity1191 Of course it is. Humans are rarely known to be rational creatures after all

[@joebroart]

Nah man, not everyone is like that

[@microcity1191]

@@joebroart I'm not saying the guy is crazy

[@AwakenedHero227]

Same here

[@Revenant-oq9ts]

16:50 - The idea that projected feelings make something worthy of preservation is a common trend across some cultures. In Japan, in particular, traditional belief is that neglected or misused tools become vengeful or resentful and come alive. Tsukumogami. People who believe so tend to form deeper connections with the property they own. Robots are tools that align with the idea of tsukumogami, I think.

[@mrdomomrdomo]

"would it still want to be a gun?" put me in tears

[@ravennamedzebra]

hands down one of the saddest and most disturbing movies I've ever seen was A.I. That scene where they leave him in the forest, and then the scene when the kid sits underwater waiting for the blue fairy- both have disturbed me since I first saw the movie as a child. It genuinely makes me question what a soul is, is a robots artificial soul any less real? is their limited range of purpose not still meaningful? how real does their programmed intention actually feel? is it even felt? All these questions are objectively obvious, but when presented with strong emotional displays from a hyper realistic robot simply programmed to do so causes so much confusion and inner conflict. Humans are so empathetic and capable of creative philosophical theory that we could EASILY be manipulated by robots programmed to display emotion.

[@HomeSlice97]

For those who haven’t watched “The Last Bastion” which is shown in part of this video, do yourself a favor and watch it. Incredible and absolutely heartbreaking.

[@Vinemaple]

When Blizzard stops making second-rate games and irate employees, they do make great short films.

[@IanSmith-zh1hq]

The feeling I get when a robot has more compassion than a human is one that transcends what I feel for my fellow man it makes feel as though a life of a friend has been cut and I could do nothing but watch and listen. Even with this the feeling that I get when robots sacrifice themselves or just make me empathize is something that I feel resonate with me Like when I watched Pluto it made me feel regretful of the way they were treated, the trauma they went through and most importantly the emotions that they expressed even if it went against their own code. It showed the way being human should be not what people take for granted.

[@BJGvideos]

I would suggest a video game for you but the knowledge that there even IS a robot in it is a big spoiler so tell me if you want a game with a really good robot story.

[@superunknown2728]

bro values a soulless machine more than his own kin 🤣

[@llspragulus]

OMG, You showed my favorite robot. The robots from Laputa made me cry so hard when it came out in 86.

[@roguechemist2658]

this really is my favourite philosophical issue, if you can phrase it like that. part of the reason i love overwatch as a story and universe so much. and when its brought up in books, such as becky chamber's a psalm for the wild-built

[@lgnoramaLama]

"Does this unit have a soul? I certainly hope so" This line honestly catched me off guard and made me cry

[@leox8038]

17:58 That's not Opportunity, that's the rover curiosity still operative on the planet. Apart from that, great video as always.

[@jessephillips1233]

I knew someone had to have noticed before me. Yes, Spirit and Opportunity had solar panels; the rendering is of Curiosity, which is still operational and runs on an RTG (radio thermal generator), and is not subject to the need for sunlight.

[@Terminator484]

@@jessephillips1233 RTG = Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator. The warmth of plutonium decaying, generating electricity through a thermoelectric converter. It's only a few hundred watts, and will slowly fade over decades... but it's enough to trickle-charge batteries for bursts of power. For little spacecraft that have to endure, it's hard to beat such compact nuclear power. An earlier version is powering each of the Voyager probes, though their radioactive sources have now decayed considerably and the power output has fallen very low. One is now suffering from data corruption and may be unresponsive forever, and the other is barely keeping in touch anymore.

[@kidwhodoesntknowcad]

I have found my people lol. Solar panels are no the best choice on mars because they can fall victim to dust storms and can only charge batteries during the day plus days on mars (sols) are a lot darker so you can’t get as much power but rtgs use a decaying isotope that nasa has been running out of science the Cold War

[@ChBrahm]

There´s a phrase by a spanish author Lorena Amkie "A character doesn´t have any more soul than what we let them borrow" Its framed in a writing class context but I feel like its exactly the same here A robot or AI is just a mirror for ourselves and we see in them as much humanity as we are willing to give them (or as much as we have)

[@SebARTtianV2]

I think what's even sadder about the arm is that it never needed the oil in the first place, it was sweeping for no reason just to die...

[@William_Bryant]

Bryant's laws of robotics: 1. A robot that approximates a human intelligence must not appear as human. 2. A robot that appears as human must not approximate a human intelligence. 3. The ability to make choices is grounds enough for something to be considered significant.

[@homemadecringeycontent6363]

Transformers needs to be in here somewhere. Mechanical, alien beings, from a world hundreds of light years away, in a constant war. Yet they’re alive. They feel pain. They feel emotions. They form connections. They even fall in love. “More Than Meets the Eye” may be about their ability to transform, but it doesn’t only apply to that. It can also mean the deep humanity below their robotic surface. The shine of their once prosperous, peaceful world, lost to millennia of conflict and bloodshed. They may not be living in a biological sense, but they are undoubtedly alive.

[@hobbsmakescomics]

One of the best stories of this nature that I have read is actually something I read very recently, and that is the sci fi comic series Descender and its sequel Ascender. It manages to tell a story that somehow explains how robots can indeed have souls and use magic thru a sort of cosmic cloud storage. It deals with imperialism as a result of a robot uprising that was the result of robot abuse and the galaxy wide war that follows. I guess I would call it Star Wars if the droids rose up and took on the Empire but also said FU to the Rebels as well. Incedentally one of the most beautiful comics as well.

[@InvasorJim101]

That Mass Effect music was well used and made me cry. I actually shed a tear for the robots...