Animating Amusement: The Seriousness of Robot Play in Contemporary Japan
Channel: SOAS University of London
Date: 2022-02-15

Animating Amusement: The Seriousness of Robot Play in Contemporary Japan was recorded on 9th February 2022 with speaker Daniel White (University of Cambridge) and Hirofumi Katsuno (Doshisha University). Find out more at: https://www.soas.ac.uk/jrc/events/seminar-and-events/09feb2022-animating-amusement-the-seriousness-of-robot-play-in-contemporary-japan.html

Although many robots in Japan are produced for healthcare, they are often first designed for fun. In fact, many engineers in Japan are fond of claiming that their first desire is to create an evocative machine that can attract people’s interest and only second consider such a machine’s applications. Other engineers even claim that robots should be altogether ‘useless’, good for no specific purpose other than amusement. In this presentation, we examine serious engagement in robot play. Drawing on examples from amateur robot builders, pet robots, and the installation of an android bodhisattva at a popular Zen temple, we examine how play and amusement are leveraged to address deeply challenging philosophical questions posed by the increasing rise of machines with artificial intelligence in Japan’s social spaces.