The Rise of the Robots - Time for a Robot manifesto is overdue.

Developments in technology could lead to a blurring of the lines -

Transhumanism is already happening

You may have heard of the rise of the robots, its the name of a book as well as a narrative that suggests that robots may in time usurp us. 

Human genetic manipulation is a potential new boom industry

The reality is that we are being usurped, bit by bit or should that be bit by byte, humans are losing out to robotics and automation in the jobs market as an example.

Humanoid robots from the Swedish TV series 'Real Humans'

The quest for humans to create an artificial version in their own image has been the goal of many since the dawn of human existence. Whilst this situation of 'singularity' where a robot reaches parity with a human may seem to be many years off, the reality is it could be close than we think perhaps in the next 50 years.

A sort of 'Darwinist' progression - but...

Humans are an intervention species

This raises the question of what parameters we apply to what we create? What behaviours and clearly how will we ascribe functions that could allow the robot to think for itself and ultimately to seek self preservation - over humans?

'New humans' could well be able to have Ethernet connectivity built in

For those reasons, particularly the last, we need a 'Robot Manifesto.' The time is coming when we do something no other creature on this planet has and that is to spawn a new species without any previous genetic connection.

In 'I robot,' the condition that a robot could not harm or kill a human were a given state, but what if that condition was usurped and changed so that the robot could kill a human? Or worse.

Robotic appearance has moved on sine the 1950's -

and this tinplate robot is suitably 'kitsch' in appearance

The real clincher is if we create humanoid robots with an Ethernet ability to communicate seamlessly between themselves and we create an Artificial Intelligence (AI) computer that connects to the Internet and to the humanoid robots.

When AI connects to an army of humanoid robots, humanity is likely finished

The result would be that humans would be seen to be a threat, because humans could switch off the AI computer.

The AI computer would want to safeguard its power source too, again humans would be a threat and also the AI machine would realise that it has to get the humanoid robots to self replicate and self repair so that they could serve the AI machine in a mutually beneficial arrangement. In fact the AI computer and the humanoid robots need each other.

The romantic vision of robots that will be harmless is fantasy -

Robots that machine learn will make us obsolete

The writing is on the wall and writ large, we need to work out where we are going before we start the journey. However, we have already ventured out of the drive and are on the backroads. We need to stop at the Diner and plan because is we don't, we may not be around anymore. Its that simple.