FU, Robot
CNS News reports:
Internet instant messaging is one of the most popular methods for teens and even adults to stay in touch with friends and family. One of the better known messenger programs, AIM, offers the feature called Smarter Child, a robot programmed to provide automated responses to those with whom it chats. […]
But when Erin told the robot that “George Bush is awesome,” she was shocked by the response. “No way. George W. Bush is way uncool,” the reply stated. She asked, “Do you like George W. Bush?” and the program replied, “I’m a Kerry supporter myself.”
Testing the waters, she typed in “John Kerry rocks.” The robot’s response: “Absolutely. John Kerry rocks.” […]
Not satisfied with that answer, Erin persisted in getting the robot to open up. “I have my reasons, believe me. I really, really don’t like George W. Bush,” the robot explained. [Emphasis added]
Later, Erin tried to find out if the robot likes her or really likes her, followed by a lengthy discussion about her friend Paris who has a big secret to tell his parents.
(Via Hairy Fish Nuts.)
Added: Victoria Herring points out that the robot has been fixed.
According to
http://www.smarterchild.com/politics.html
this has been corrected….sad to say!
What did they do, give the robot a lobotomy?
Fixed? Fixed! they say! Now it is broken!
Maybe they can call it “Stupider Child” now.
Actually, the robot was fine to start with. It was just following the first law of robotics, which says that one cannot harm a human being.
To answer the question it just quickly scanned Bush’s record, noted the number of wars, lives lost, and threats however empty of more to come, and reasoned that Bush was not following the first law of robotics. Bush was therefore “way uncool.”
Kerry on the other hand broke the first law in Vietnam, but then reasoned it was a good law after all and championed it thereafter. Therefore Kerry “rocks.”
You just have to know how robots think is all.
“We have an extensive list of opinions that are taboo for REPUBLICANS to form…Many users have expressed opinions to REPUBLICANS about George W. Bush. The preponderance of those opinions were negative…The managment of Conversagent did not feel that this was appropriate, so we changed the program and blocked REPUBLICANS from having negative opinions about George W. Bush.”
See Karl? See how easy it would be if we were all robots?