Since the Age of Reason humanity has constantly toyed with the idea of how the end of mankind will come. The idea itself appears in the Bible in the Gospel of Matthew in which Jesus proclaims, "After the Gospel of the Kingdom is preached as a testimony to all nations, then the end will come." (Matthew 24:14) In a time like the one we live in, where science and technology is on the verge of dictating everything we do, people look for reasons for the end of mankind. In 1985, Isaac Asimov's written text Robots & Empire asked the question: will robots be the solution to our problems or will they be the root cause for the end of humanity? (Asimov, 1985) In response to Asimov, this argument will undoubtedly attack the statement, by saying that: Despite the large advancements in science and technology due to robotics, many texts theorise that this sector of technology poses a massive threat to the human race.

To further defend this point two key texts will be addressed, they include: I, Robot, a fictional movie that exemplifies the fact that Robots can take over humanity and an article from renowned author George Dvorsky who ponders over the possibility of Robots becoming sentient and fighting for their rights, resulting in the end of human beings. Using both the fictional and non-fictional text it will be proven beyond doubt that future robotics pose a massive threat to the human race.

Ever since Fritz Lang’s, Metropolis movie, robots have been a reappearing figure in the film industry and are often represented as a threat to the future world. A prime example of this is the text I, Robot. When hitting the screens in 2004, I, Robot, brought about some opposing debates about robotics, ultimately arguing whether future robotics will be beneficial or harmful. The beginning of the film consists of the creator of robots, Dr. Lanning committing suicide. However Detective Spooner claims that the death of Dr. Lanning, was caused by the robots. The movie goes on to show robots continuously disobeying Isaac’s Asimov’s 3 Laws of Robotics and ultimately indulges the notion that Robots can become a potential threat to mankind’s existence. A statement from Dr. Calvin, in the movie I, Robot reveals a likelihood of the future of robotics. She states, “Dr. Lanning suggested robots might naturally evolve.” (I, Robot, 2004) This means that once humans create a robot that has a higher intelligence than a human, they will develop an independent race and take over. This can be illustrated by looking at a supporting quote from Rodney Brooks. He argues, “Robots today have the intelligence of a cockroach. But in years to come, robots may reach the intelligence of a mouse, then a dog or cat, then a monkey, next thing you know they are smarter than us.” (Brooks, 2001) What threats does this quote pose? The enslavement of humans, a fight for resources as they become their own independent race, or maybe the extinction of human beings. Who knows? But what we do know is these threats can most aptly be characterised as harmful to humanity. A short clip from I, Robot further enhances this information by highlighting the potential threat of robotics in the future. (Play Robot Fighting Scene) Although a fictional text, I, Robot shows you cannot be certain about a positive future with robotics, as Asimov wanted. Therefore it is evident that the future of robotics poses a massive threat to the human race.

A supporting text, Why Asimov’s Three Laws Can’t Protect Us also identifies the threat robots have on mankind. Written by George Dvorsky in 2014, this article serves to increase awareness of the enormous risks that come with the development of more intelligent robots. Similarly to the new dystopian movie, named Chappie, where robots develop past the 3 Laws of Robotics supposedly killing humans, George Dvorsky poses the idea that, “The three laws will fail, and in doing so, humankind will fall.” (Dvorsky, 2014) This statement by George makes it clear that once the laws fail, robots will become the dominant race on Earth. In George’s article he refers back to Louie Helm – the Deputy Director of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute, Helm summarises the inadequacy of the Three Laws. He says:

I. Robots will outsmart any rules given to them, if designed to such an intelligence
II. The laws are rejected by researchers
III. The laws failed even in fiction (Helm, 2013)

George expands on Helms third point in the article in saying: “Invariably, and as demonstrated in so many of Asimov’s novels, the imperfections, loopholes and ambiguities enshrined within these laws often resulted in strange and counterintuitive robot behaviours.” (Dvorsky, 2014) This is highlighted in I, Robot, where the robots find a loophole in the First Law. They realise that humanity is so harmful to itself, that in order to prevent ‘harm’ to human beings, they must take over. George’s article reveals a much larger issue by stating, “Once Robots become independent, humanity is lost.” (Dvorsky, 2014) George again emphasises the idea of the Rise of Robots and how the end will come. To reinforce George’s point, we can analyse a quote given by Stephen Hawking, allegedly one of the smartest people in the modern era. He says: “Artificial Intelligence could spell the end of the human race.” (Hawking, 2014) Hawking addresses the issue of what the film I, Robot and the article by George Dvorsky have discussed - that with the rapid advancements in Robotics, the end could be near. George Dvorsky ends his article by coming to the conclusion that an Asmovian future is so far fetched, as the Three Laws aren’t capable of protecting the human race. (Dvorsky, 2014) This therefore defends the argument by making it evident that the future of robotics is undoubtedly a threat to the human race.

Robotics, like most technologies is designed for the benefit of humankind, however incidentally robotics can also cause unprecedented ‘harm’ to the human race. The validated texts, I, Robot and Why Asimov’s Three Laws Can’t Protect Us exemplifies the fact that success in creating artificial intelligent robots would be the biggest event since the beginning of time. Unfortunately the texts and literature come to the agreement that it may also be our last. After addressing these two corroborative texts it is evident beyond doubt that this sector of technology poses a massive threat to the human race. And so it seems that the presentation has come full circle and now returns to the question asked when I first stood up this morning: will robots be the solution to our problems or will they be the root cause for the end of humanity?