Featured Image Credit: Susan Mullane/ISI Photos/Contributor / CFOTO/Contributor / Getty
The movies tried to warn us, with everything from Wall-E toTerminator, Ex Machina to iRobot foreshadowing a technologically-advanced future where humanity becomes reliant on robots. In a turn that isn't really a surprise to anyone, SpaceX and Tesla's Elon Musk is leading this robotic rampage.
Musk grabbed headlines again recently, this time for showing off his fleet of Tesla robots, adorably named Optimus. Despite this affectionate nod to Transformers, Musk's Tesla Optimus robots have raised some questions about where things are heading and how fast we're heading there.
As well as being called out by the director of iRobot, the Tesla robots have also left the general public unnerved by their realistic-sounding voices. Some are still convinced that it's just some guy in a costume, but if you weren't freaked out before, prepare to be now.
Speaking at the Optimus unveiling event, Musk said the robots will do 'anything' you want, hyping them as teachers, babysitters, dog walkers, and more. These robots can even just sit there and be your friend, but according to the machines themselves, they apparently want more...a lot more.
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Human: “What’s the hardest thing about being a robot?”
— Oluwagbemiro Diamond💎 (@diamonddemola) October 11, 2024
Tesla Optimus: “Trying to be as human as you guys are” pic.twitter.com/uhdfEE3w4p
During one concerning clip that's gone viral, it seems these robots aren't just there to serve us, but potentially to become us.
When interviewed by a man called 'John', the Tesla Optimus robots might've just revealed their primary objective. John asked where the robot lived, with Optimus naming its factory and saying: "That's where they train us, that's where we get our builds - they're wonderful, super people."
It all sounds pretty wholesome, but when John quizzed Optimus by asking, "What's the hardest thing about being a robot?" its response has sent alarm bells ringing. Saying, "Trying to learn how to be as human as you guys are," the robot then added, "And that's something I try to do harder every day and I hope that you'll help us become that."
As you can imagine, a fleet of robots saying they want to become as human as us raises a few questions. Responding to the clip, one concerned consumer wrote: "What do you think 'training' includes? If they can be 'trained' to be your friend, they can be 'trained' to be your enemy as well."
Someone else predicted where this one is heading and chimed in: "EVERY movie in history that had that phrase was said, ended pretty badly for humanity. I’m just saying."
A third concluded: "Bye bye life as we knew it." Paying $20,000 to teach a robot how to usurp us? Hmmm, we might stick to paying over the odds for a PlayStation 6.
