Writing Robot and Nonhuman Intelligence
Robots talk in a metallic voice, speak in a staccato rhythm, and walk
in awkward movements. Right? That may have been true in the 1950s, but robots
have evolved. So what does it mean today to be a robot? How have they changed
over the years and how might they change still? How do we write one in a
convincing way, and can we apply these same ideas to writing other nonhuman
intelligences?
Martha Wells: author of fantasy and SF, SF novellas, won Nebula, ALA/YALSA
Alex Award, Locus Award, and has appeared on the Hugo, Nebula, Philip K. Dick
Award ballots, USA Today Bestseller List, NYT Bestseller List
Charles Stross: author of seven Hugo-nominated novels; won three Hugo
awards for shorter work, translated into 12+ languages; pharmacist; first code
monkey
Christopher Husberg: fantasy author
Mika Koverola: working on PhD in cognitive science. Knowledge of
philosophy of science like consciousness, evaluative biases and the
neuropsychology of language; coauthored 2 scientific peer-reviewed papers; fan
of SF&F
Yeah, weird juxtaposition, but as I’m preparing to go back to work as a
HS counselor; and because my daughter was asked to contribute art of a peel-and-stick
for the fund-raising efforts of Bring Change to Mind (https://bringchange2mind.org/get-involved/high-school-program/)
– I started thinking.
If we create artificial intelligence and robots more mobile, stronger,
and faster that us…will they also be subject to mental health issues?
First of all, there seems to be an upwelling of enthusiasm for bringing
robots into mental health care practice (https://www.fastcompany.com/90299135/mental-health-crisis-robots-chatbots-listeners,
https://www.wired.com/story/virtual-therapists-help-veterans-open-up-about-ptsd/,
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/super-intelligent-robot-psychiatric-workers-9141519,
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-future-brain/201810/is-the-robot-psychologist-the-next-big-ai-app,
https://theweek.com/articles/694522/robots-replace-therapists).
There are even specialists in robot-human interactions: http://www.robot.md/
It also appears that we have been sabotaging our future with robots: https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/science-fiction-to-blame-for-robots-bad-reputation
There’s also no shortage of “mad/crazy robot” stories, either: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/KillerRobot
(which probably accounts for the diatribe above).
But I can’t find much about robotic/AI mental illness – you know,
schizophrenia, paranoia, hoarding, stuff like that. Though they are typically
grouped according to type of issue – anxiety disorders, mood disorders, psychotic
disorders, eating disorders (we can probably eliminate that one, though, come
to think of it, what if a robot or an AI had problems with its power source –
like some setting their “nuclear/anti-matter/handwavium” power source to feed
them more and more power…and then they blew up? I don’t know, that one may
require some thought!), impulse control and addiction disorders (the mind boggles!
(Mine does, anyways!)), personality disorders. OCD, PTSD (this could present
some fascinating story ideas…), stress disorders, dissociative or factitious
disorders, sexuality/gender disorders (possibly eliminated, but there might be
an entire NEW can of worms that opens there – what about a robot who wants to physically
reproduce? (What if it the robot wasn’t as matter-of-fact as Data (ST:TNG) when
his “daughter” Lal in “The Offspring” died? Is there such a thing as robotic or
AI “depression”? What if a scientist who created an AI had depression issues
herself and when her AI started emulating them (it of course, reflected its
creator), she just programmed he depression away? There are all KINDS of
directions such a story could go! [I’m considering NOT posting this so I don’t
give away any great ideas!]), and somatic disorders (or what about body image
disorders????) (
Whew!
That was an unexpected storm!
Final question, what gives Humans the right to create another entire set
of intelligences designed to be like us…and SUFFER like us? Many scientists
would design their robots to have no wasteful “spiritual dimension”. Yet, in
anger and suffering, won’t there be ONE robot or AI who asks the question, “Why
did you create us to suffer?”
Now there’s a “god-question” that would be fascinating to tackle in a story...
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