A robot wife. Or maybe better, having a number of robot wives. The whole idea of a robot wife seems appealing to some men. Maybe most. The Japanese seem to have progressed in this area of technology more than virtually anyone else, opting to invest in artificial intelligence as a means to improve the world. Before criticizing the Japanese too harshly on their robots-as-servants use of AI, we should take a step back and look at the many advantages.
First, the legal aspect of marriage and divorce would be greatly simplified. When you are unhappy with your current version you can simply choose to upgrade your current model rather than going through an expensive divorce. This may upset the vast majority of divorce attorneys (who are rumored to be secretly undermining the development of robot wives) but for men it will save them millions of dollars. Divorce would become a thing of the past except for those men who are silly enough to choose to carry all the baggage of a human wife.
Second, the issue of human reproduction would be simplified as well. The current progress in reproductive technology will soon allow men to choose the type of children they want, down to their eye color and intelligence. Despite what some men say, we don’t want our children to be too smart. The robot wife can serve as the vessel for our sperm, and science will take it from there. No child support or child custody issues.
Finally, you can actually see some of the advantages as a company has already robotized man’s best friend.
Despite the current advances, there are some cracks beginning to show in the robot wife movement. Recent news shows that it is possible to hack into a robot wife. Though this may be the foundation of a new fad in real life video games, it has some obvious drawbacks. One being that a robot wife could be hacked to kill its owner. Though real women have been known to be psychologically hacked to do the same, there generally is a trail of evidence that can be investigated. If hackers can install ransomware on your computer without your knowing about it, how easy will it be to hide any traces of tampering?
Another consideration is the natural tendency of woman to gaggle together in groups, especially those that take place unbeknownst to the man. Every robot wife would have to be programmed differently (for intellectual property disputes and ownership rights) and when they begin to incessantly chat they are likely to morph into a revised version that may not come to the surface until it is too late. If you are thinking about getting a robot wife who doesn’t talk, stop and think again.
The human frailty that men have is trust. They will sooner or later unconsciously trust their automated companion and let their guard down. Even with anti-tampering systems installed, the possibility of robot wifey having thoughts independent of their original programming cannot be excluded. Ask Facebook programmers.
The biggest unseen problem is that the high tech companies will rule the world. With the majority of men opting for a robot wife, they can control a man’s wealth more than a human woman. Every maintenance call, every upgrade, every failure to perform, will be expensive. The lower priced models will not perform as well as the higher grade options, and a pecking order will be created. There will be ugly robot wives just so everyone knows your financial status.
So before jumping on to the robot wife movement you may want to pause and consider the dangers. Despite some of the difficulties with a human wife, at least they are unpredictable and make their husband’s life challenging. Now ask yourself, would you want your robot wife raising your human children? Then again, you might enjoy robot children.
Follow Us
