CoBoTics: The Art Of Complimentary Co-Existence

While technology is extremely value adding to human works in most area and is a sine qua non; it isn’t yet capable of taking over those tasks completely on its own. A realistic expectation of what AI can do in the near future and designing for co-operation is the key.

On the question of likely application and role of robots, we see views that span the entire continuum.

Here, it is important to include not like the humanoid metal boxes that attempt to replicate human functions but also intelligent programs, chat bots and machines (including Robotic Process Automation systems) that carry out variety of specific task they are designed for.

On one extreme are the doomsday experts who predict an apocalypse with extreme loss of jobs, breakdown of society, as we have known it and human surrender to its own creation. On the other end of the spectrum are those who consider the current rise of technology as another passing fad or phase.

Reality may be more nuanced than either of these scenarios and may take a middle path, as usual- a likely scenario where humans co-exist with robots - the rise of ‘CoBotics’.

What are the pointers to the emergence of this milieu?

The first pointer comes from the realisation that while technology is extremely value adding to human works in most area and is a sine qua non; it isn’t yet (and predicted to remain that way for some time) capable of taking over those tasks completely on its own. As we analyse today, it is apparent that the capability of robotics and systems is limited. General Artificial Intelligence (AI) is far from reality and most of the successes we have achieved are in specific AI and there too the quest for satisfactory algorithms continues. A realistic expectation of what AI can do in the near future and designing for co-operation is the key.

Thus, the human-robot cooperation and co-existence is part necessity.