Better at English

055 – Could you kick a robot puppy?


Listen Later

Hello my lovely English learners! Lori here, your teacher from BetterAtEnglish.com. I love technology, so we’re talking about robots today, but not in the way you might expect. A lot of conversations about robots have to do with whether or not a robot or machine could ever develop genuine feelings or emotions. But today we’re going to be thinking about our own emotions and feelings toward robots, particularly empathy. Can we feel empathy toward robots? And if so, why?

Links to pre-listening background -- to get the most out of this podcast:
Short video of someone “torturing” a robot dinosaur (part of a research experiment). Make sure you watch it with sound. What do you feel as you watch this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAVtkh0mL20

Kate Darling: Why we have an emotional connection to robots (TED talk)
https://www.ted.com/talks/kate_darling_why_we_have_an_emotional_connection_to_robots?language=en

Yasmin's profile on italki

Full transcript of this episode

Allow me to introduce you to Kate Darling. She is a super cool researcher who is looking into this very question. I’m going to play you a little bit from the beginning of her TED talk, where she explains how she got into this line of research. The link to the full presentation is in the show notes. It’s as entertaining as it is interesting and thought provoking, so I can wholeheartedly recommend you check out the whole thing. OK, here comes Kate:

Kate Darling:

“There was a day, about 10 years ago, when I asked a friend to hold a baby dinosaur robot upside down. It was this toy called a Pleo that I had ordered, and I was really excited about it because I've always loved robots. And this one has really cool technical features. It had motors and touch sensors and it had an infrared camera. And one of the things it had was a tilt sensor, so it knew what direction it was facing. And when you held it upside down, it would start to cry. And I thought this was super cool, so I was showing it off to my friend, and I said, "Oh, hold it up by the tail. See what it does." So we're watching the theatrics of this robot struggle and cry out. And after a few seconds, it starts to bother me a little, and I said, "OK, that's enough now. Let's put him back down." And then I pet the robot to make it stop crying.

And that was kind of a weird experience for me. For one thing, I wasn't the most maternal person at the time. Although since then I've become a mother, nine months ago, and I've learned that babies also squirm when you hold them upside down. (Laughter)

But my response to this robot was also interesting because I knew exactly how this machine worked, and yet I still felt compelled to be kind to it. And that observation sparked a curiosity that I've spent the past decade pursuing. Why did I comfort this robot? And one of the things I discovered was that my treatment of this machine was more than just an awkward moment in my living room, that in a world where we're increasingly integrating robots into our lives, an instinct like that might actually have consequences, because the first thing that I discovered is that it's not just me.”

She’s right, it’s not just her. I found a short video on Youtube that shows somebody being really mean to the same type of robot dinosaur that Kate uses in her research. It’s only one minute long, so if you want to pause the podcast and go watch it, feel free. The link is in the show notes. Anyway, when I watched this video myself I felt really uncomfortable, even though I knew it was just a toy robot. I’m not alone; here are some of the Youtube comments.

“Why would you do this!!!! It looks so scared, please stop and let me hug it.”

“The last part when he was hitting him to the table I heard it crying; that’s so sad.”

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

Better at EnglishBy Lori Linstruth

  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4

4.4

119 ratings


More shows like Better at English

View all
Big Picture Science by Big Picture Science

Big Picture Science

943 Listeners

Speak English with ESLPod.com - Learn English Fast by ESLPod.com

Speak English with ESLPod.com - Learn English Fast

2,511 Listeners

Scott Sigler Slices: SLAY Season 3 by Scott Sigler

Scott Sigler Slices: SLAY Season 3

1,072 Listeners

Radio Detective Story Hour by Dennis Humphrey

Radio Detective Story Hour

381 Listeners

Common Sense with Dan Carlin by Dan Carlin

Common Sense with Dan Carlin

11,095 Listeners

Dan Carlin's Hardcore History by Dan Carlin

Dan Carlin's Hardcore History

63,205 Listeners

Astronomy Cast by Fraser Cain and Dr. Pamela Gay

Astronomy Cast

2,870 Listeners

Meditation Oasis by Mary and Richard Maddux

Meditation Oasis

3,982 Listeners

Philosophy Bites by Edmonds and Warburton

Philosophy Bites

1,532 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,814 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,118 Listeners

KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century by James Howard Kunstler & Duncan Crary

KunstlerCast - Conversations: Converging Catastrophes of the 21st Century

430 Listeners

Culips Everyday English Podcast by Culips English Podcast

Culips Everyday English Podcast

991 Listeners

RealLife English: Learn and Speak Confident, Natural English by RealLife English

RealLife English: Learn and Speak Confident, Natural English

508 Listeners

Learning English Stories by BBC Radio

Learning English Stories

414 Listeners

Espresso English Podcast by Shayna Oliveira

Espresso English Podcast

444 Listeners

Real English Conversations Podcast - Learn to Speak & Understand Real English with Confidence! by Real English Conversations: Amy Whitney & Curtis Davies - English Podcast

Real English Conversations Podcast - Learn to Speak & Understand Real English with Confidence!

413 Listeners

Conversation & Pronunciation: Learn English with The Rachel's English Podcast by Rachel's English:  American Accent Trainer

Conversation & Pronunciation: Learn English with The Rachel's English Podcast

620 Listeners

podcastsinenglish by The pie team

podcastsinenglish

44 Listeners

Dan Carlin's Hardcore History: Addendum by Dan Carlin

Dan Carlin's Hardcore History: Addendum

8,186 Listeners

American English Podcast by Shana Thompson

American English Podcast

572 Listeners

IELTS Speaking for Success by Podcourses

IELTS Speaking for Success

509 Listeners

Learn English Vocabulary by Jack Radford

Learn English Vocabulary

159 Listeners

Thinking in English by Thomas Wilkinson

Thinking in English

105 Listeners

Listening Time: English Practice by Sonoro |  Conner Pe

Listening Time: English Practice

569 Listeners