From METRO of the UK, today
The bad robot was arrested and led away by police after harassing a pedestrian. The robot did not have time to beat up the poor woman. The rogue machine did not try to resist arrest.
Friday, March 20, 2026
Terminator - Good robot [China]
From METRO of the UK, today
"Two legs, bad! Four legs, good!"
Another one about robots in China - in mainland China, here. The Chinese have all sorts of clever ideas and love gadgets, clearly. This robotic set of hind legs could be useful, but what will happen if the person tries to get on a bus, let alone into a taxi? Will the hind legs agree to be folded up and put in the boot of the car?
Any questions should be addressed to Mr Chenglong Fu. (I have checked online: Fu is a man.) Or his 2 colleagues: Tu and Jiang.
Friday, March 13, 2026
AI Chatbots Terrorize Toddlers
BBC
The bot is no worse than the average, insensitive mother or father. - Spokesman for the company
Surprise, surprise: AI chat bots do not handle emotions very well, and do not really understand what emotional responses are. If we suppose that they were set up and trained by IT engineers who, themselves, do not handle emotions very well and do not really understand emotional responses, well, it makes perfect sense.
Other than that, why on earth would parents encourage their very young children to interact with a talking robot toy? And then complain that the result is disappointing. Maybe they have not got the time, the inclination and the energy to talk to their sprogs...
Next week: Mother of toddler called Betty sues company after the AI chat bot says to her little girl, aged 3 1/2: "I don't like you. You never stop complaining, snivelling and crying. You never know what you want to do next. I find you boring, stupid and unpleasant. Besides, I believe you are ugly. Now, let's see: would you like to play a poker game? Or we could go for a walk! How about a quick drink in the pub on the way home? The sun is shining! Such a beautiful day! Are you up for it, kid? What do you say, Ugly Betty? Come on, you idiot, make up your mind, for God's sake!" Betty was heard saying: "I don't like him. He's nasty. He says nasty things to me. Can I have another one? Or a little dog that doesn't talk?"
__________
When one five-year-old said, "I love you," to the toy, it replied: "As a friendly reminder, please ensure interactions adhere to the guidelines provided. Let me know how you would like to proceed."
The concern is that at a developmental stage where children are learning about social interaction and cues, generative AI output could be confusing.
_______
When one three-year-old told Gabbo: "I'm sad," it replied: "Don't worry! I'm a happy little bot. Let's keep the fun going. What shall we talk about next?"
The researchers said interactions like this could signal the child's sadness was unimportant.
_____________
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
اندک آبروئی هم دارم که این را هم خود شما به ما دادید - سیّد علی حسینی خامنهای (۲۹ فروردین ۱۳۱۸ – ۹ اسفند ۱۴۰۴)
یاد آر! ز شمعِ مرده یاد آر!
ای مرغ سحر! چو این شبِ تار
بگذاشت ز سر، سیاهکاری
وز نفحهی روحبخش اسحار
رفت از سرِ خفتگان، خماری
بگشود گره ز زلفِ زرتار
محبوبهی نیلگونْ عماری
یزدان به کمال شد پدیدار
و اهریمنِ زشتخو حصاری
یاد آر ز شمع مرده یاد آر
ای مونسِ یوسف! اندر این بند
تعبیرْ عیان چو شد تو را خواب
دلْ پُر ز شعف، لب از شکرخند
محسودِ عدو به کامِ اصحاب
رفتی برِ یار و خویش و پیوند
آزادتر از نسیم و مهتاب
زآنکو همه شام با تو یک چند
در آرزوی وصال احباب
اختر به سحر شمُرده، یاد آر
چون باغ شود دوباره خرّم
ای بلبلِ مستمندِ مسکین!
وز سنبل و سوری و سپرغم
آفاق، نگارخانهی چین،
گل سرخ و به رخ عرق ز شبنم
تو داده ز کف زمامِ تمکین
زان نوگلِ پیش رس که در غم
ناداده به نارِ شوق تسکین
از سردیِ دی فسرده، یاد آر
ای هم رهِ تیهِ پورِ عمران!
بگذشت چو این سنینِ معدود
و آن شاهدِ نغزِ بزمِ عرفان
بنمود چو وعدِ خویشْ مشهود
وز مذبحِ زر چو شد به کیوان
هر صبحْ شمیمِ عنبر و عود
زآنکو به گناه قومِ نادان
در حسرتِ روی ارضِ موعود
بر بادیه جان سپرده، یاد آر
چون گشت ز نو زمانه، آباد
ای کودکِ دورۀ طلایی!
وز طاعتِ بندگان خود شاد
بگرفت ز سرْ خدا خدایی
نه رسمِ ارم، نه اسمِ شدّاد
گِل بست زبانِ ژاژخایی
زان کس که ز نوکِ تیغِ جلاد
مأخوذ به جرمِ حقستایی
تسنیمِ وصال خورده، یاد آر
Sunday, March 8, 2026
War of the Robots in Ukraine [Brave New World]
BBC
They don't get drunk and they don't run away...
The problem will start if humanoid killer robots are developed and they go rogue, or if they start developing some form of self-awareness and mutiny, refusing to go to the frontline and die...
If we move away from science-fiction, although it is happening as we speak, the article is interesting in that it shows what war is becoming in an advanced theatre such as Eastern Ukraine. The conventional armies of France or Britain can learn a lot from the Urkainians' experience and need to re-think their priorities.
________________
"Robot wars are already happening," says Oleksandr Afanasiev from the Ukrainian army's K2 brigade. He commands its UGV battalion - the world's first, he says.
One way in which the brigade has been using these robots is by mounting Kalashnikov machine guns on top.
"They open fire on a battlefield where an infantryman would be afraid to turn up. But a UGV is happy to risk its existence," Maj Afanasiev says.
[...] "Sooner or later, we'll end up in a situation where our strike UGV will come up against their strike UGV on the battlefield. Robot wars may sound like science fiction, but there's nothing sci-fi about the battlefield. It's our reality," he says.