Virtually Emotional

A stressed-out life is becoming a common complaint with the hardworking denizens of our fair city.

No time for family, friends or recreational activities has left many of us following a vicious pattern of labour, eat and sleep and this according to city doctors is leading to illnesses of our neurological systems.

The pressure to succeed, make a million in record time or even to buy that fancy Ferrari is slowly making all of us social climbers prone to high blood pressure which in turn transforms itself as foul tempers, road rage, impatience and finally an embolism of the brain.

Meanwhile, in Britain people continue to work even when they are ill because their bosses will see it as a weakness and that would result in a loss of promotions and bonuses and that red Ferrari.

The fact that sick and tired employees would do more damage spreading disease and ill-will in the office is conveniently overlooked by cost-conscious companies.

Along comes a British artificial intelligence researcher David Levy, who predicts that humans may soon transfer their affection to robots because life as we knew it in the not so distant past is slowing turning "virtual".

We have learned to love every thing animate and inanimate so why not robots, he argues.

I actually agree with him. Since people have no time except to labour – eat – sleep, when would they have the time and space to woo a beloved, watch the flowers grow, take moonlit walks or all the other little things we do because of the romance in our souls.

We already get our services from recorded voices, get stuff done online with nameless, faceless people at the other end and some even find their life partners on the internet.

Since the human race is turning into robots anyway with no time for real emotions or face to face time, what’s wrong with robots being given feelings to be able to interact with humans?

If you disagree tell me why.