Usually, we only see human-like robots in movies or novels. But thanks to advancementsin robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), human-like robots could soon be a reality. When that happens, there will be lots of questions to answer. What will their roles be in society? Will they be considered human? Cass Hunter’s book, The After Wife , explores some of these questions.
In Hunter’s book, a scientist who is named Rachel creates a human-like robot to help her family carry on after she’s gone. The robot, iRachel, is designed to be just like Rachel. It almost has the same appearance, memories, and thoughts. However, iRachel’s mind is not a complete copy of her creator’s mind and the AI is not perfect. As a result, the robot struggles with things like understanding others and recognizing human emotions.
Even though iRachel is not fully human, it becomes a true member of the family with a positive impact. It helps Rachel’s husband deal with his griefand provides guidance to Rachel’s teenage daughter. Would you mind having a human-like robot in your family, and would you treat it differently from a real person?
