How Human Do We Want Our Robots to Be?

Robots are starting to look suspiciously familiar. Increasingly sophisticated robots designed to resemble us are striking up more and more symbiotic relationships with humans, at home as our companions, and at our workplaces as colleagues.

Human-robot interactions will continue to evolve as robotic technology transforms the way we see our creations, and the way they react to us. But as machines cease acting like machines and become more integrated into our lives, how will we feel about them? And, dare we ask, how will they feel about us?

Future Tense explored the future of human robot interaction on Wednesday, January 20th at New America in Washington, D.C. Participants included Patric Verrone, Writer and producer of Futurama; Woodrow Hartzog, Assistant Professor at the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University; Lance Gharavi, Associate Professor and Assistant Director of Theatre at Arizona State University; and, Christine Rosen, Future Tense Fellow and Senior Editor, The New Atlantis. Moderated by Lily Hay Newman, Lead Future Tense blogger, Slate.