Comment by heaney-555
7 hours ago
>automated rubbish disposal can be integrated into houses and flats, grocery delivery and storage could be done via an automated intake, cataloguing, and storage system
This is a complete non-starter for already-built apartment blocks, terraced homes, and even most semi-detached. It's an interesting but costly solution for new detached homes.
Humanoids are a useful form factor because the already-built human world is, definitionally, built for humanoids.
Doing what's ethically right rarely means taking the most convenient path. Fridges and pantries take a considerable amount of space in our homes. These could become part of an automated storage system.
Why is a Roomba or automated rubbish disposal system more "ethically right" than a humanoid robot?
My point is that a generalist-humanoid robot can be used for nefarious purposes more easily than a specialised robot like a Roomba. A humanoid robot could, in an extreme case, perform a civil arrest or prevent you from leaving your house until the police arrives. Ultimately it's our decision to make.
1. Do we want to be governed by machines?
2. Do we want to relinquish our freedoms to the whims of corporations?
we ve stopped building infrastructure but we have to do it. Rail, car , electricity, fiber infrastructure developed quickly, yet we refuse to even plan for robotic infrastructure. We can't be stuck forever in the 19th century