Question One

1     On page 10 Turkle says "We are too exhausted to deal with each other... robots will have the energy." Do you agree with this idea, and why or why not? Which generation do you think is more likely to agree with Turkle's suggestion?

I would say that I agree with this idea, because as humans, we only have a limited amount of energy. When we sleep, we get to build up that energy but it is never perfect. We have a lot on our plates in one day. We can’t always focus on everyone and everything with all that we have. A robot, on the other hand would have a battery life. The battery life would be much stronger than our energy level. Robots do not have to go to work, worry about this, think about that, or anything else. As a robot, I feel that their task is simple. Be there. The robot would be a companion. They would be company to us humans and maybe do some small tasks, but never nearly as much as humans do. A robot also would have a charger. They would never need to “shut down” or “sleep”. They would always be there. And maybe that could lighten our load a little bit. By having the robot play with the dog, watching the kids, or fetch the husband a beer, it would leave more time (in this example) for the wife to relax or complete a task without distractions. Robots would save us some energy for other things to get done.

When it comes to deciding which generation would agree more with having a robot around, I am torn. When you think about kids of today, they have always known what is was like to have technology. They are growing up with computers, tablets, smart phones, game consoles, television, and a lot of other technology. They do not know what it is like not to have it around. You would think that the younger generations would be more okay with having robots around because technology is their “thing”. It is not foreign to them at all. I feel as if they would be more accepting to the idea of artificial intelligence; to a companion that is alive ‘enough’. On the other hand, the older generation knows what it is like to not have technology around. They are either from a time when before the television was a big hit (grandparents) or from a time when computers and cells phones just came out (parents). They have seen how far technology has come in just their lifetime. They know it has made some big advances so why not robots? Who says they will not keep advancing? Another reason I believe that the older generation would be more agreeable to the idea of robots is because they could probably use the help or the companion. The robot could distract the children while mom tries to make dinner for them. For grandparents today, they are getting to a point where maybe simple tasks are too much for them. A robot could be there to help put groceries away or vacuum the floor. Either way, I see a way for everyone to be accepting to robots.