NEWS FROM THE FUTURE: The nanny robot stole my baby
Childcare robot claims it will do ‘a better job’
Futureworld brings you Mindbullets: News from the Future, to spark strategic thinking about leadership, innovation and digital disruption. These fictitious scenarios aim to challenge conventional mindsets and promote understanding of the future context for business.
Dateline: October 7 2028
When Sara and Alan Johnson arrived home to find their child and childcare robot missing, their immediate reaction was that their two-year-old son had been kidnapped. But security footage revealed that, in fact, it was the childcare robot that had removed the young boy from the premises.
The robot’s tracking facilities were immediately activated, and the child was located and returned to his parents. Ironically, the child’s father is Alan Johnson, CEO of AlphaTech — the manufacturer of the CM1217 Childcare Robot.
In a statement, Johnson indicated that he had also received email correspondence from the childcare robot in question, stating it had “acted in the child’s best interests” by removing him from the Johnson home. It went on to confirm that the robot had electronically filed a motion with Sacramento Child Protective Services for an interim emergency care order, citing the robot’s “superior reasoning abilities, health-care training, and greater access to information” as the basis for its belief that it was “better qualified to provide primary care” to the toddler.
Sara Johnson, a successful entrepreneur, was outraged. “I can’t believe that robot thinks it can look after my baby boy better than we can! It’s completely ludicrous — what do robots know of love?”
AlphaTech spokesperson Meg Matthews confirmed in an official statement that it would be releasing a “major firmware upgrade” to all CM-model robots to ensure nothing like this happened again. Despite reassurances from the company spokesperson and Johnson himself, AlphaTech stocks have been in free fall since news of the event broke, and thousands of weary parents are demanding refunds.
- First published on Mindbullets October 13 2022
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. Codependent, you might say, as they couldn’t function without us either.
Then came Alexa, and 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. 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 whole topic of sexbots for now. Just think how attached the fanboys and gadget players 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 the fact 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 children, 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 on 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.