I'm actually worried that science fiction, while planting within us the desire to see things like humanoid robots become a reality, has also implanted within us a latent fear. As soon as there's a robotics convention, the jokes about Terminators begin flying; I've even been titillated enough by recent advances to take part in such social phenomena, as shown in my inane robotics and AI-related posts recently. Being an average joe observing these advances from a position of relative ignorance has been a fascinating experience for me.
But will our fear of being put out of work (robots becoming the new Illegal Immigrants) and being attacked by robots cause some kind of social uprising that destroys or represses progress in this field of research? Imagine: bombings of robotics and AI research facilities like at abortion clinics. I'm kind of paranoid that destructive social backlash could become a reality. Naming corporations involved in this field freakin' CYBERDYNE, and assigning names like HAL to the products of such corporations, could help stir up that kind of paranoid sentiment.
