It’s not really a surprise that a lot of people are seeing a robot police dog as a problem, is it? There are likely a few ways that a lot of folks can find to argue that Digidog, the name of the robotic helper, can be used to help police in their duty, but quite a few people appear to be thinking that it’s a bad idea. The sad part is that many people are utilizing movie references to voice their displeasure and like it or not, as much as I would agree that the movies can point to very good life lessons, it’s bound to be less than convincing. Quoting lines from iRobot and Robocop and various other movies isn’t bound to get anyone to think twice about the idea that Digidog isn’t quite as good of an idea as its creators want to think. The applications that it’s been designed for have even left a lot of people deaf to the idea that it might be a waste of taxpayer money. So far none of it is going to make anyone feel that having machines in the picture is a bad idea, especially since police officers no doubt want to reap the benefits of such a thing since the idea is to keep them safe and even accountable for anything and everything that might happen in a given situation.
Nah they really got these robot police dogs in NYC. This is wild pic.twitter.com/iG7CTPFevH
— THEE DON (@1800SPOILED) April 12, 2021
It’s a difficult argument to make either to be for or against this type of thing since new technology tends to come with a lot of caveats, but also with a lot of benefits, namely those that were mentioned above when it comes to keeping police officers safe. The overall feeling that a lot of people have towards technology and the Robocop references are bound to happen since anything that’s automated is bound to be seen with a great deal of skepticism and will likely have a long ways to go when it comes to getting people to trust the technology, especially if AI becomes involved at some point. It’s already been said that the idea of a Robocop would be far, far into the future, and the moral implications of such a thing are likely part of what would keep the idea at bay since trying to create a cyborg police officer is bound to be seen as a huge expenditure as well as something that many might claim is a crime against God, a crime against humanity, etc., and so on. In other words, such a thing isn’t bound to be looked upon kindly, and as it’s witnessed in the video above the presence of Digidog isn’t exactly pulling down ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ since it’s more of an oddity than anything judging from the reactions of the people. The woman that says that Digidog is R2-D2 was kind of amusing really.
Whether anyone is willing to admit it or not, technology is going to unnerve people quite a bit in the years to come when it’s applied in certain ways, and it’s not just the fact that it’s being added to the police force, it’s the fact that AI, regardless of what we’ve seen on TV and in movies, is terrifying since it’s an actual attempt by human beings to hand over control of the machines…to the machines. Many would argue that this would make life easier, safer, and less of a risk, but many are still missing the point that danger and risk are a part of life. It’s difficult to argue this point when it comes to dangerous jobs such as those on the police force, fire department, and definitely in the military, since telling these professions that technology is bad is bound to be met with laughter. Technology isn’t evil or bad on its own, but it’s when imperfect beings give rise to technology using what they believe is the type of programming that will keep humanity safe while at the same time easing their burden with a programmable robot that things feel as though they’re going to go off the rails. It’s kind of like having a kid really, since raising that child, teaching them, watching as they can take on more and more complicated tasks, is all great, and it’s all something that people work towards. But then comes the leap of faith that everyone has to endure at one point or another.
They have to let go. The creators choose to relinquish control of the creation in the hope that things will go well and that nothing will happen to the creation, or to them in the process. With AI it’s a little different, or one would hope so since the idea is that there’s a way to turn it off. Perhaps people are simply worried that eventually a killswitch won’t work as it’s supposed to if the AI goes nuts. In any case, there are upsides and downsides, but many of the latter are feelings and are hard to justify.
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