This Week’s Process & Literature Review
What was my process this week? I began re-examining my three ideas for a thesis topic. They were augmented reality and the benefits for an enhanced shopping experience; the under-representation of Asian Americans in American media; and human connection to artificially intelligent machines.
Artificial intelligence still stood out to me because since last year I found myself having a strong interest in the topic. When taking Objects and Space last year, one of our assignments was to build an emotional robot. The robot had to convey two different emotions without the use of a face or lights. On the day the assignment was due, we had a viewing of every classmates’ robot. What surprised me was the wide variety of emotions on display from these mechanical objects that were unrefined and built in just a matter of three weeks. What further surprised me was that these moving pieces of metal, felt, yarn, paper, and cardboard began to elicit an emotion from me as well. I found myself feeling empathy for some of the robots even though I knew they didn’t actually have emotions. Instead they were programmed to react a certain way when something tripped their sensor.
I began thinking more about the experience I just had and when I got home, my dog, Buddy, greeted me. It got me thinking about what I had witnessed that night and I began comparing the emotions Buddy not only conveyed but also elicited from me. “One day, all of Buddy’s characteristics and movements will be easy enough to program into a machine,” I thought to myself. An argument in my head began to emerge, “But would people feel an emotional connection to a programmed dog, instead of a real one?” I had this argument with myself for days. I soon realized that some of us already have a strong emotional connection to machines, the prime example being our smart phones. How many of us feel vulnerable when we accidentally forget our device(s) at home? How many of us can’t even sit through a meal with our friends or family without having to check our screens? I’d say we’re already emotionally connected. We stare at it, we laugh, we get angry, some even cry.
A good thesis is supposed to pose a question, present a hypothesis, and then test it or try to prove it. However, our project requires us to build something. I’m intimidated by the thought of having to build an artificially intelligent dog, but the topic does seem like one worth exploring. My thesis and argument is that as A.I. technology becomes increasingly advanced, humans will begin to develop stronger emotions and attachments to machines.
Current Bibliography in MLA Format
Barrat, James. Our Final Invention: Artificial Intelligence and the End of the Human Era. St. Martin’s Griffin, 2015
Brynjolfsson, Erik, and Andrew McAfee. The Second Machine Age: Work, Progress, and Prosperity in a Time of Brilliant Technologies. W.W. Norton & Company, 2016
Ford, Martin. Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of a Jobless Future. Basic Books, 2016
Frankish, Keith, and William M. Ramsey. The Cambridge Handbook of Artificial Intelligence, Cambridge University Press, 2014
Jackson, Phillip C. Introduction to Artificial Intelligence. Dover Publications, 1985
Kaplan, Jerry. Artificial Intelligence What Everyone Needs to Know. Oxford University Press, 2016
Kelly, Kevin. The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future. Penguin Books, 2017
Klein, Dr. Kevin. Robotics: Discover The Robotic Innovations Of The Future — An Introductory Guide to Robotics. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2016
Kopec, Danny, et al. Artificial Intelligence and Problem Solving. Mercury Learning & Information, 2016
McPherson, Stephanie Sammartino. Artificial Intelligence: Building Smarter Machines. Twenty- First Century Books, 2017
Russell, Stuart. Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach. PE, 2015
“Doggie Robot Eases Loneliness in Nursing Home Residents As Well As Real Dog, Study Finds.” Science Daily, 26 Feb. 2008 https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080225213636.htm
Tegmark, Max. Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. Knopf, 2017
Warwick, Kevin. Artificial Intelligence: The Basics. Routledge, 2011
Yonck, Richard. Heart of the Machine: Our Future in a World of Artificial Emotional Intelligence. Arcade Publishing, 2017
