Researchers are now predicting that, as artificial intelligence (A.I.) technology becomes more sophisticated, humans could find themselves turning to robots for companionship and love. There are even those who claim that people could begin to marry these machines and start a family with them.
"We have got to ask ourselves will robots be re-purposed for companionship? Will humans become intimate with robots? The answer, I believe, is yes," Dr. Kevin Curran, from the Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers, told the Daily Mail. "Will we start to see people fighting court cases to win the right to marry their companion? We may see court cases arguing that these artificial beings have the same rights as humans."
It appears that the key to Curran's claim rests on the rapid advances in the A.I. field. It is expected that new computing technology could lead to robots that are more life-like, paving the way for a perfect robotic companion. There is the belief that robots will not only be able to interact with humans, but also recognize and express human emotions. This is demonstrated, for instance, by emotional or sentient robots that currently exist or in development, Engineering and Technology reported.
Experts believe that all it takes to develop a human-like robot is for computers to understand human emotions. This can purportedly be achieved through the so-called deep learning technology, IEET reported. This technology, which empower robots to spot patterns swiftly, is currently being used and developed today by companies suh as Google. A fully conscious, deep-learning-based machine is expected to be built within the next 15 years.
