Do We Really Want Autonomous Robots in the Home?

It sure was fun to think about, but now that we've arrived at the point where humanoid robots are being introduced into homes and workplaces, the fantasy has taken a back seat to the realities that these robots bring with them. 

As I said in a previous article, people with disabilities and the elderly stand to benefit a lot from robots in the home, at least when they're more developed than they are today, but I don't give it that long before they're actually fully reliable.

Read: Autonomous Robots in the Home Are Here Way Earlier Than I Anticipated, and I Have Thoughts

And honestly, I think there can be a lot of benefits for a robot in the home for everyone. 

As a father of a 2-year-old, I often feel like time is a commodity that I always wish I had more of. Having someone do the laundry, fold it, put it away, do the dishes, tidy the room, etc., sounds like a dream. It would give me more time with my son, give me more runway for work and projects that could potentially make more money, and, of course, allow me more leisure time. 

There's also an added health and safety benefit to the house. Handling tasks like cleaning gutters or anything that involves heights can be handed to the robot. Constant cleaning could reduce allergies, and attending to the pet grooming that most Americans tend to put off could actually improve air quality and overall health. 

Security could also be a benefit as a robot that is alert 24/7 could be a good watchdog that could alert owners to threats attempting to break into the home, and I imagine that as robots become more integrated into the home, their ability to notify emergency services through their own communication channels will become a standard feature in the way it is in many cars today.

A robot could also help you with your personal, at-home business. Packing, sorting, calculating, and bookkeeping could ultimately make a robot in the home worth the cost alone. 

I'm sure there are many more benefits I haven't even thought about, but while the possibilities are many, I'm not sure they're endless. Moreover, I'm not entirely sure the outcomes and potential for fallout are worth having one. 

For starters, while a robot might act as an extra security feature that could help alert authorities and keep people out, there's no avoiding the fact that with this robot, you're inviting people in, namely, an entire corporation. It's the same principle as your smartphone or Alexa, where they're definitely gathering data by listening to you, but now you've given this corporation eyes and legs to have around your home. 

AI is trained on data, especially interactions with users and experiences. Corporations are not going to let the opportunity for data collection go by without adhering to strict privacy policies. Your very personal data will be collected and used to help improve and build out these platforms. 

And this isn't even discussing the security risks from hackers who could, through various means, get access to your data, blackmail you, or surveil you through your own robot's eyes. Hackers have been known to gain access to people's data through their personal devices over the past decade, or even by hacking corporate websites. There's a non-zero chance that your robot won't stay completely safe from people with the know-how to gain access to it. 

Of course, there's also the hazard of a robot malfunctioning or failing tasks like helping someone up the stairs, dropping valuable items, or they themselves falling over and becoming a hazard. This could especially be dangerous to the elderly. It should also be noted that, at this juncture, robots are not built to be strong despite being machines. If you get hurt, your robot cannot help you itself and will instead have to rely on emergency services. 

Then, of course, there's job displacement and skill loss. As the robots handle our tasks for us, we lose personal skills, opportunities, and careers. This is going to be damaging to society overall, and there's just no avoiding that fact. I've often said that legally, there should be an AI cap for corporations so that they don't end up putting millions of Americans out of work and bringing the economy to a screeching halt. I can also see the people turning on various businesses for AI overuse, with many businesses putting up signs that reassure people that their business is 100 percent human-operated. 

I see robots bringing us into over-reliance, which I think is going to cause far more problems, and here's where the at-home robot scares me the most. 

A reduction in physical activity and even the stoppage of accomplishing mundane tasks is going to have a nasty psychological effect on people. Even beginning at the age of three, assigning and accomplishing tasks results in better self-esteem, which translates to success down the line, whether it's school or the job. Simple tasks like making the bed or folding laundry are actually good for you on a mental level, as the dopamine from accomplishing tasks gives you a healthy boost in confidence and self-assurance. 

Decluttering your house actually makes for lower cortisol levels, lowering your stress. You get the sense of control over your space, increasing your comfort in it. 

Laziness often breeds a lack of motivation, which then results in fewer actions taken to improve one's life, which often leads to depression. Robots sound really fun until you get into the nitty-gritty of what they're taking from you just by being "convenient." 

Given, I could be totally wrong and humanity really will find itself benefiting from the lack of "boring" tasks, resulting in more focus on other things that could lead to a more fulfilling life... but I just don't have that level of optimism. We are intelligent creatures, but our instincts are loud within us, and if there's one thing I've learned, it's that what our bodies do, our minds get used to and normalize. I see laziness and a lack of ambition becoming a very common thing among bot owners, especially for their children.