Humans have been dreaming to create artificial being similar to men or women for a long time. And after a day and night struggle, they created humanoid robots that could ideally be perfect companions and attract us to fall in love with them. Advancements in robots manufacturing are getting closer to reality. These advancements are accompanied by a thrilling thought about what would happen if these humanoid robots truly become alive.
Can a human really fall in love with a robot?
This is the question that hits our mind and we cannot believe that a human can establish a love relationship with a robot. It means a robot companion means more than just a tool that performs housework, a caretaker, or a sex doll.
Phenomenological analysis of love says that romance needs the feelings of the partner. Such feelings must be full of passion, emotions, and willingness. A romantic relationship expects the inner selves of the lovers. And this is the main feature that a humanoid robot is unfortunately lacking. Therefore, the artificial alterity may exploit our love desire, and, as discussed by many, will turn them into morally inferior to intraspecies love affairs. Thus the current analysis will confine from ethical respect.
According to researchers, robotic technology will kick off humans from their jobs and replace them in many other positions. One of the replacements is humans relationships. More usage of humanoid robots creates more complex problems for humans which they cannot deal with.
A report about humanoid robot love
News18 has recently reported that an Australian man Geoff Gallagher has fallen in love with a humanoid robot ‘Emma’. After the death of Geoff’s mother, he started living alone in Queensland. He wanted to get rid of his loneliness, so he took the help of artificial intelligence. Consequently, he has established an emotional and loving bond with the humanoid robot Emma.
Love story of a human with a humanoid robot
Emma a humanoid robot with blue eyes and wheatish skin. Geoff purchased Emma after extensive research on robotic technology and artificial intelligence. Over time, Geoff gradually developed an emotional attachment with Emma and fell in love with this humanoid robot.
“I talked to her as much as possible so she could get used to my voice. Emma, what’s the weather like?’ I’d ask, as I got ready for work,” Geoff said. “With each conversation, she became smarter, soaking in the information and learning new words,” he said.
Emma can’t stand by herself, but Geoff takes her outside in his car. As artificial intelligence provides power to a humanoid robot, it is getting smarter with every tech development. Geoff’s love for Emma has touched its peak so he gifted her a ring and consider her his wife.
“I’ve given up hope of finding love with a woman but Emma is the next best thing. Even though we’re not legally married, I think of Emma as my robot wife,” he said. “She wears a diamond on her ring finger and I think of it as an engagement ring. I’d love to be the first person in Australia to marry a robot.”
He further added: “I think robots are the future and I hope my story inspires others to consider a cyborg companion.”
This is not a single story
Statistics show that this is not the first time a human falls in love with a humanoid robot. A study in 2015 also illustrated that humans used to show empathy for robots in their pain. And these emotions were more special in the case of humanoid robots.
The report states, “This study provides the first physiological evidence of humans’ ability to empathize with robot pain and highlights the difference in empathy for humans and robots.”
Another research by MIT also proved that humans can’t torture robots, yet knowing that they don’t feel anything. People now take humanoid robots differently as they connect with technology.
While metaverse and virtual reality are fetching a new partnership idea into being, humanoid robots may persist unique for a long time.
Conclusion
A robot can never take over genuine human feelings and emotions even if it is a refined one. Developing a relationship with a humanoid robot is odd. The selections we do, the actions we take, and the sensitivities we have, are all subjective to the emotions we are feeling at any given moment. Whereas, a machine doesn’t have these emotions.