Robotics + Art

Before this week lecture, robotics already substantially merge with our lives. It is recently that the car we drive, the house we live in and the laptop I am writing this blog with are all made by robots. However, the discussions of such technology advancement due to industrialization have began much earlier. In Walter Benjamin’s The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, he is afraid of that the easiness to mass reproduction kills the innovation and originality to produce art. Unlike Benjamin, Douglas Davis believes that the gap between original and reproduction art is closing. It is understandable that Benjamin had such passive view of how industrialization would influence art. Comparatively, we have some new concerns with how robotics will change our lives. 

Is industrialization good for humanity?

I still remembered I was totally amazed by the futuristic and imaginary world featured in the film "I, Robot". In the film, people are living harmoniously with all kinds of robots, until one day some super intelligent robots with self-evolutionary power try to destroy humanity. Likewise, the series movie "Terminator" presents us a similar idea of the possibility that robotics can develop into scary killers. Nonetheless, the view of AI destroys humanity comes mainly from the West. This is because after industrialization, the West has enjoyed most of the fruits brought by industrialization and their technology has developed so fast that they themselves start to think about the consequence of such a fast pace. 

Del Spooner, acted by Will Smith, tries to stop the fight between robots and humans.

Unlike the West, which have focused mainly on manufacturing robots, the robot engineers in Japan have special affection to humanoid robots. Especially after industrialization to present, all kinds of humanoid robots are offered in Japan's robot market. Moreover, humanoid robots are featured in animation, like the famous Astro Boy. This happens because Japanese has realized that robots have  the functionality as human helper and comforter, in situations like elderly support and natural disasters.  

Robots can help take care of elders.

In conclusion, as technology develops faster and faster, we can expect more industrializations and more questions of art and robotics that are essential to our lives.    

References:

Benjamin, Walter. “The Work of Art in Age of Mechanical Reproduction.” Marxists. N.p.. Web. 18 Oct 2012

Davis, Douglas. “The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction.” The MIT Press, 1995. Web. 19 Oct. 2012.