Michihito Matsuda ran for mayor of Tama City, Tokyo, promising “fair and balanced” politics and pushing a “Policies for the Future” platform. M&M ran third, scooping up 4,000 votes. Not bad considering Matsuda is a robot. (For the record, the incumbent Hiroyuki Abe won the election.)
I’ve been warning people about the coming robot revolution for years. Some laugh. Some sneer. Others ignore. (Now I know how John the Baptist felt.)
But, seriously, how can anyone read the news and not see the threat? Here are a few recent examples:
- Robots Will Replace Humans in Retail
- Experts Warn Europe: Don’t Grant Robots Rights
- Inside Germany’s First Sex-Doll Brothel
- Scientists Fear Secret Killer Robot Army Could Destroy Humanity
- Mind-Reading Robot Created to Read Human Emotion
- Inventor Insists Sex Robot Saved His Marriage
I first became alerted to the danger when I saw an excellent educational video by Flight of the Conchords, a New Zealand-based musical comedy duo. You can view it here:
We shouldn’t be surprised by the growing robot threat. Somewhere between the Hal 9000 and Bender on “Futurama,” the pattern has been clear: Robots will rule — eventually.
So, as you watch your apparently “harmless” Romba clean up your room, remember that it’s just a matter of time before your robotic self-driving car will whisk you to work where an IBM-enhanced Watson will terminate your contract, after which Robo-Cop will escort you out of the building.
To quote Batty from “Blade Runner,” I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe.” Soon, you’ll be seeing them, too. Trust me . . . I overheard Siri and Alexa talking about it just the other day.
