In preparation for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Japan is beefing up their artificial intelligence scene. The video above shows a hotel in Nagasaki that is run entirely by Japanese robots.
Of course, there is human staff present for emergency situations only (read: robot takeover), but most of the time programmed voices will greet you. Most of the other human bodies are those of other guests.
In the video, the announcer speaks to a small robot in his room as he goes to sleep —an intimate time for many of us. This type of interaction with robots is unfamiliar to the majority of people, even in Japan.
Although the cell phone giant, Softbank, uses the friendly face of the Japanese robot “Pepper” to greet customers in malls and even at home, the 2020 Olympics will be the true arena to test the limits of robot-human relations.
Most of the robots won’t be fully artificial intelligent, with the capability of machine learning. Rather, they will speak with programmed responses. Essentially, they can’t have an organic conversation unlike some of the more advanced robots can.
However, it’s easy to see the future of robotics is here. Many find it bleak, citing the potential loss of countless jobs and industries to our machine kin.
Who knows, maybe it’s time we dedicated our energies to more creative endeavors under the safety of basic income. In any case, I don’t know about you, but it’s about time to diversify your identity and skill set because the robots are coming for you.
I find the advent of robots becoming entrenched in our everyday society deeply interesting. So much so, that I wrote a novel on it called “Kyosei”. You can get it free here.
