Human’s Feeling Companion
The aging population and people living in isolation have always searched for forms of comforting distractions – often reminders of the past. – More recently technical devices are made to comfort and with verbal abilities acting as caregiver. Some question the merit of a Weak AI robot that has no understanding supporting a needy individual with what they call a deception technology. Some point to the charade of robotic companionship. Some fear the possible manipulation, surveillance, a loss of human care and not having the worth of human company. There has never been an easy solution to any of the personal and social impediments that face human individuals. Whether a non-thinking robot is beneficial in a particular time and place will always be open to question.
There is little doubt that ASIMS designed with humanlike understanding and in ways have parallel emotional needs of the supported individual with which it communicates with empathy – will be a significant improvement over a lump of unthinking piece of physical matter in the form of a robot. This unthinking peace of matter could always appear as a frustrating companion if it could not answer any of the questions the dependent individual might have about its interactions.