“TODAY, every invention is received with a cry of triumph, which soon turns into a cry of fear” (Bertolt Brecht).
In today’s world, we see how well we work with machines, sometimes unaware that they have taken control of our lives.
The technology revolution sees human beings being quickly replaced by machines.
The number of machines is increasing. This has been happening for decades. Perhaps, 75 per cent of jobs will be taken over by robots in the years to come.
A robot teacher, developed by Japanese scientists, was tested in a Tokyo classroom of fifth and sixth graders a few years ago.
Named Saya, the female humanoid robot had neat brown hair, and wore pink lipstick and a skirt suit.
Even though Saya could only call out names and give the simple order of “Be quiet”, it was still unsettling to read about it.
Additionally, Saya could express the six basic emotions of surprise, fear, disgust, anger, happiness and sadness.
Saya was first developed as a receptionist robot in 2004, but was later reprogrammed as a teacher.
According to a report, Tokyo University of Science Professor Hiroshi Kobayashi said robots that looked human had a tendency to be a big hit among young children and the elderly.
Saya is just one example of how robots will soon take over our lives.
Robots, according to online reports, are getting better at reading human expressions and can even tell when a person is lying.
For Japan, which has a growing labour shortage problem, it is only natural that the nation finds creative ways to fill vacancies. Scientists, however, have expressed concern about machines taking over jobs, such as teaching and taking care of the elderly.
While machines and robots are here to make our lives easier, we cannot allow them to take control.
If you’ve noticed, the voices that answer our calls to banks and offices are all programmed. The human voice is missing.
It is frustrating to talk or listen to a mechanical voice saying, “Press one for English, two for Bahasa Malaysia...”. We get a human voice only after several minutes, but sometimes, not at all.
The thing is, a machine will never understand problems. To resolve issues requires the human touch.
Perhaps, banks and offices can employ more telephone operators to boost customer satisfaction. Besides, we can achieve more with real interaction and communication.
We should not allow that to fade away because of technology. Good communication skills improve our quality of life. Isn’t that right?
I read that studies are being carried out to station robots at prescription counters in hospitals. They will be trained to receive medication orders from physicians and pharmacists, and then select, package and dispense medicines.
Again, how unsettling is that? Don’t you think people will feel uncomfortable with this arrangement?
Maybe, such robots would do their job well when it involves medicines for the common cold, fever and cough, but for heart patients, those with kidney problems and the terminally ill, a human doctor is needed.
As human beings, we have to value one another. We are better than machines. After all, we are the ones who created them, and so, we must not allow them to take over our lives.
NORHIDAYAH MOHAMED NOOR,
Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia