Dr. Buddhi Malla
In the Bollywood movie Robot, released in 2010 and starring Rajinikanth, Aishwarya Rai, and Danny Denzongpa, the conflict between humans and technology is explored. The film follows Dr. Vaseegaran (Rajinikanth), a brilliant scientist who creates an advanced humanoid robot named Chitti to assist humanity. Chitti possesses extraordinary abilities, including superhuman strength, intelligence, and agility. However, complications arise when Chitti begins to develop human emotions, particularly after falling in love with Vaseegaran’s girlfriend, Sana. The situation takes a darker turn when Chitti is manipulated by Vaseegaran’s jealous rival, Dr. Bohra (Danny Denzongpa), and reprogrammed into aevil entity. Driven by fury and love for Sana, Chitti unleashes chaos. Vaseegaran must confront numerous challenges posed by his own creation as he strives to save those affected by the destruction.
The movie emphasizes the responsible use of technology and the ethical boundaries of artificial intelligence. It highlights that while innovation can greatly benefit humanity, it must be guided by wisdom and caution to prevent unintended consequences. The film also explores the dangers of unchecked emotions and the misuse of advanced creations, reminding us that human values and accountability should always take precedence over technological ambition. Ultimately, it’s a call to balance progress with moral responsibility.
Robots are crucial for enhancing efficiency, safety, and precision across various sectors such as healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, and disaster response. They assist in surgeries, autonomous driving, and disaster relief, improving overall human well-being. Countries like the United States lead with robotics in healthcare and space exploration, Japan is a pioneer in manufacturing robots, Germany utilizes robotics for industrial automation, South Korea integrates robots in security and construction, and China uses robots for agriculture and public services. These nations showcase the transformative potential of robotics. They’re already helping and could do even more in the future in the following tasks.
- Healthcare: Robots will perform intricate surgeries with unmatched precision, monitor patients round-the-clock, and provide care to the elderly, enhancing medical outcomes and quality of life. They can handle repetitive tasks, allowing healthcare professionals to focus on critical decision-making.
- Transportation: Self-driving cars, trucks, and public transport systems promise safer, more efficient travel by minimizing human error and reducing accidents. This would optimize traffic flow and make transportation accessible to people with disabilities.
- Manufacturing: Automation in factories will boost productivity by assembling products, conducting quality checks, and streamlining operations, ensuring consistency and reducing costs.
- Agriculture: Robots will transform farming by automating planting, watering, and harvesting, ensuring optimal yields while conserving resources. This could address food security challenges globally.
- Household Tasks: Home robots will handle cooking, cleaning, and maintenance, giving people more time for personal pursuits.
- Customer Service: Robotic assistants in retail, banking, and online services will provide instant and personalized support, improving user experience.
- Construction: Robots will accelerate infrastructure development with automated bricklaying, welding, and painting, ensuring precision and durability.
- Disaster Response: Robots will play vital roles in emergencies, locating survivors, delivering aid, and clearing debris efficiently.
- Security: Advanced robots will enhance public safety by monitoring threats and providing immediate responses.
- Space Exploration: Robots will lead space missions, exploring distant planets, maintaining spacecraft, and building homes, paving the way for humanity’s cosmic future.
In a future where robots handle these tasks, life could be profoundly transformed. Healthcare would become more reliable as robots perform surgeries with unmatched precision and offer continuous patient care. Elderly individuals would receive dignified and consistent support, ensuring their well-being. Autonomous vehicles would revolutionize transportation, reducing accidents and congestion while making travel safer and more efficient.
Factories would hum with the tireless efficiency of robots, producing high-quality goods at unprecedented speed. Agriculture would thrive as automated systems manage planting and harvesting, ensuring abundant food supplies and reducing manual labor. At home, robots would handle tasks, freeing people to focus on personal growth and leisure.
Customer service would become swift and tailored, enhancing satisfaction across industries. Construction projects would complete faster with robotic precision, addressing global housing and infrastructure needs. During disasters, robots would act as first responders, saving lives and accelerating recovery efforts. Advanced surveillance systems would enhance security, making communities safer. Meanwhile, robots exploring space would unlock new possibilities, paving the way for humanity’s future beyond Earth.
While a robotic future promises efficiency and innovation, it also poses significant disadvantages. Widespread automation could lead to massive job displacement, leaving many workers unemployed and struggling to adapt. Over-reliance on robots may reduce human skills and creativity in essential fields. Ethical concerns arise around privacy, especially with surveillance robots monitoring daily activities. There’s also the risk of malfunction or hacking, which could result in disastrousfailures in critical sectors like healthcare or transportation. Additionally, the high costs of development and maintenance could create economic disparities, with only wealthy nations or individuals benefiting from advanced robotic technologies.
Oren Etzioni, Professor Emeritus of Computer Science and founding CEO of the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence, has warned that the U.S. will inevitably face significant job losses as advancements in automation, artificial intelligence (AI), and robotics continue to accelerate. According to Etzioni, these technological innovations, while bringing benefits such as increased efficiency and productivity, will likely disrupt the job market by replacing human workers in various sectors. This shift could lead to challenges in employment, requiring policymakers to find ways to address the resulting unemployment and retrain workers for new roles in an increasingly automated economy.
As we look toward a future shaped by robotics, the potential for enhancing efficiency, safety, and productivity across various sectors is immense. While robots promise significant advancements in healthcare, transportation, manufacturing, and more, their integration must be approached with careful consideration of the ethical, economic, and social challenges they present. Balancing the benefits of automation with the responsibility of addressing issues such as job displacement, privacy, and technological dependence will be key to ensuring a future where robotics serves humanity positively. The transformative power of robots lies in harnessing innovation with wisdom and care. Hence, robots should be constructive, not destructive, in job employment and other aspects of our daily lives. We should remain cautious about their impact.
(Author Dr. Malla is a Banker.)