human-robot-complicity
The mutual, often unconscious, participation of humans in sustaining the illusion that robots possess sentience and emotional life.
2 chapters across 1 book
The Second Self (1984)Sherry Turkle
This chapter explores the author's encounter with Cog and Kismet, two socially interactive robots designed to simulate human-like learning and emotional expression. It examines the complex emotional responses humans, especially children, have toward these robots, highlighting the blurred boundaries between machine and person and the human desire for connection and care. The chapter also discusses the implications of these interactions for understanding human identity, social intelligence, and the needs that robots symbolically fulfill.
Chapter 7, "Communion," explores the complex human-robot relationship, focusing on how humans anthropomorphize robots and develop emotional bonds with them. It discusses theoretical perspectives from cognitive science, philosophy, and psychoanalysis to analyze the social and emotional dynamics of human-machine interactions, including the concept of 'complicity' and the embodiment necessary for intelligence. The chapter also highlights real-world examples of robotic companions and their impact on users, emphasizing the evolving nature of identity and self in the context of technological integration.