From: jmc@SAIL.Stanford.EDU (John McCarthy)
Subject: shouting at robots prize
Reply-To: jmc@cs.Stanford.EDU
Organization: Computer Science Department, Stanford University
Date: 8 Jan 93 21:23:56

The prize goes to John L. Scott.  It was easy, because his was the
only posting that met the conditions.  Honorable mention to Sanjiva
Prasad for his admonitory rhyme.  I'll have to see if it improves the
way Timothy speaks to his robot.

If anyone wants to comment it should be by email or with the precise
subject above.  I'm going on a trip to Austin, TX, and I'll have to
flush rec.arts.books when I return next Wednesday.  If John L. Scott
will email me his address, I'll mail a check.  Here's his contribution,
although I was hoping someone would say that if children control
robots by shouting, they will soon be trying to do the same with
humans, illustrating it with some horrific scenarios.

Newsgroups: rec.arts.books
From: scottj@magic.dml.georgetown.edu (John L. Scott)
Subject: Re: Shouting at robots
Followup-To: rec.arts.books
Organization: J. Random Misconfigured Site
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 14:58:10 GMT
X-Posted-From: iamac-1.dml.georgetown.edu
NNTP-Posting-Host: sol.ctr.columbia.edu

In article <JMC.93Jan2141039@SAIL.Stanford.EDU>, jmc@SAIL.Stanford.EDU
(John McCarthy) wrote:
> 
> I hear my 7 year old son shouting "Stop! Stop!" at his robot.  You
> might consider shouting at a toy robot a singularly futile exercise.
> However, the robot, manufactured in China for a Japanese company and
> sold at Radio Shack, uses voice recognition technology licensed from an
> American company.
> 
> It just isn't very obedient when shouted at.
> 
> A $25 prize is offered for the best posting in the next week viewing
> this development with alarm, i.e. children shouting at robots.

Oh that's fine, Dr. McCarthy.  Make light of children shouting at robots. 
Offer a reward for somebody who sees a problem with it.  Big joke.  Ha ha.

I'm not laughing.

Your child's mind is being SUBVERTED by inscrutable foreigners and you are
AMUSED.  Let me tell you what is going to happen to your son.  He will
learn to control machines (such as this "toy"), a skill they consider
useful for him to have in the world they are creating.  He'll be able to
tell the robot to "Turn left" or "stop", and it will.  It will obey his
every command--except when it's important.  You see, your son only shouts
when it is important TO HIM for the robot to stop.  And that is precisely
when the robot is designed not to stop.

Can't you see what is being imprinted in your child's brain?  He will grow
up thinking he is in control of the various machines in his life.  He will
be convinced of that, and it is important to them that that is what he
actually consciously believes.  But when it comes to something important,
when the computer generated letter tells him something he doesn't want to
believe, when the government computer tells him he owes more tax or that he
is drafted and should go to war, when the computer model shows that he
should support this policy, this candidate, this party, when these things
happen, that's when the programming you make such light of rears its ugly
head.  It is then that deep down in his soul, he will know that shouting at
robots doesn't work, not when it's important.  His subconscious will say
"resistance is futile" and for reasons he isn't conscious of, he will give
in, dejected and resigned to whatever they designs they have, but still
believing that somehow, it is he and not they who are in control of his
life.

You may be able to laugh about this.  I feel like crying.  NO!  I FEEL LIKE
SHOUTING!

"STOP!  STOP!"
--
John McCarthy, Computer Science Department, Stanford, CA 94305
*
He who refuses to do arithmetic is doomed to talk nonsense.

Newsgroups: rec.arts.books