Zombies

Can robots be conscious?

Are robots zombies? This might seem like a strange question at first, but it leads to one of the most important questions in science today: what is consciousness and can robot’s become conscious? These questions fascinate many people. And when Blake Lemoine suggested that Google’s latest AI Lambda had become sentient, it triggered a worldwide media frenzy. In this HRI podcast episode, I talk with Professor Jack Copeland about machine consciousness.

Transcript

The transcript of the episode is available as a PDF. You can also follow the episode with subtitles through Descript

HRI-Podcast-Episode-023-Zombies-Transcript

ISSN 2703-4054

Important Links

The Sad Robot

Do robots need emotions?

What roles do emotions, affect and moods play for humans and robots? We will discuss how robots can sense, reason and express emotions. Furthermore, we talk about if emotions make robots more human. I had the pleasure to talk with Rosalind Picard (MIT), Lola Canamero (CY Cergy Paris University), Hiroshi Ishiguro (Osaka University) and Douglas Campbell (University of Canterbury) about these exciting questions.

Transcript

The transcript of the episode is available as a PDF. You can also follow the episode with subtitles through Descript.

HRI-Podcast-Episode-020-The-Sad-Robot-Transcript

ISSN 2703-4054

Important Links

Robots in Education

An Introduction to High-Tech Social Agents, Intelligent Tutors, and Curricular Tools

Our new book “Robots in Education” has been published by Routledge.

Robots in Education is an accessible introduction to the use of robotics in formal learning, encompassing pedagogical and psychological theories as well as implementation in curricula. Today, a variety of communities across education are increasingly using robots as general classroom tutors, tools in STEM projects, and subjects of study. This volume explores how the unique physical and social-interactive capabilities of educational robots can generate bonds with students while freeing instructors to focus on their individualized approaches to teaching and learning. Authored by a uniquely interdisciplinary team of scholars, the book covers the basics of robotics and their supporting technologies; attitudes toward and ethical implications of robots in learning; research methods relevant to extending our knowledge of the field; and more.

The Laws Of Robotics

We discuss the three laws of robotics by Isaac Asimov.

In our previous podcast episode The Good Robot we discussed the difficulty of enabling robots to act ethically. When talking to journalists or policy makers about machine ethics you frequently get the response, well, Issac Asimov already solved that problem with his three laws of robotics. These laws are so seductively simple that most will intuitively understand them. In this episode of the Human-Robot Interaction podcast, Sean Welsh and I will have a close look at these laws and try to understand why barely anybody has ever tried to use them in their robot.

Transcript

The transcript of the episode is available as a PDF. You can also follow the episode with subtitles through Descript.

HRI-Podcast-Episode-017-The-Laws-Of-Robotics-Transcript

ISSN 2703-4054

Important Links:

The Good Robot

How can a robot act ethically?

Humans have asked themselves since the beginning of time “What is good”? While we have some consensus and even laws, teaching a robot to act ethically remains a delicate problem. It certainly requires more than three laws. How can a robot know what to do while operating in an uncertain world? I interviewed Sean Welsh on Ethics in Human-Robot Interaction.

Transcript

The transcript of the episode is available as a PDF. You can also follow the episode with subtitles through Descript.

HRI-Podcast-Episode-013-The-Good-Robot-Transcript

ISSN 2703-4054

Links:

Art in Human-Robot Interaction

What and how does art contribute to HRI?

Many disciplines contribute to the success of human-robot interaction. Computer scientists and psychologist are amongst the most frequent contributors, but their contributions are not necessarily the most interesting ones. Today we are going to discuss what and how art can contribute to human-robot interaction. Robots have been used in the theater, exhibitions, comics and music, to name just a few. Getting them into the limelight does take various skills. Team work is often a challenge, but collaborating across disciplines adds a layer of complexity to the dynamics. I talked with Mari Velonaki, Guy Hoffman, and David St-Onge about art and its relationship to HRI.

Transcript

The transcript of the episode is available as a PDF. You can also follow the episode with subtitles through Descript.

HRI-Podcast-Episode-006-Human-Robot-Interaction-Art-Transcript

ISSN 2703-4054

Relevant links: