In my youth during the morning and evening prayers there was always a beating of cymbals and ringing of bells while people came together in the temple. For the rest of the day there was silence, my mother sitting cross-legged on the veranda and me imitating her.
All these memories I took with me, together with my speculative dream scenarios, to the Artificial Intelligence education in the TechPark in Bangalore.
Nothing came of it, but what am I waiting for? I could at least start inserting some of my dreams into the digital future of India.
.
I can’t sleep, it haunts me. My smartphone lights up, new mail from Claris:
“Looking at the creations of my grandchildren yesterday I thought:
Challenge different views, stimulate creativity.
It gives meaning to every act in this complex world.”
I smile. Of course my NI-05 robot must enjoy voices, faces and emotions, interpret gestures, respond to complex nonverbal cues. Making eye contact is crucial to enjoy life.
I answer Claris:
If I want to end up working as a valuable Artificial Intelligence Expert, I have to take on all challenges I encounter, and embrace endless changes. Are we really fighting for our landscape and all the creatures living in it? More is needed! But I must know why change is needed, too. Diversity is what makes a place beautiful. Humans need water, humans need food but humans need first and foremost emotions.
Emotions is what robot NI-05 needs!
If we are forced to send our grandchildren as humans in the direction of Mars to survive, they will need to cope with temperatures that can swing from -150°C at the poles to 20°C at the equator. The sun is not powerful enough to grow food like on Earth. There are no animals, no caresses. How will the robots discover life, if they do not play? We will have to choose between:
Access to technology is needed for everyone to allow all humans to participate in an ongoing discussion about our future that confronts artificial activities with the proven importance of forests and animals in all their beauty.
Is science really smarter than nature?
I’m dizzy in my head. So far, we’ve only just begun to explore how people could work together in collectives. What about the collaboration that insects take for granted? They survive and flourish putting cooperation into practice. Look how bacteria change their shape to survive. How bees find their food by working together. We humans too have to respond to our changing environment.
I look at the places where our 24 times friends are living. We have to forge a plan together.
