Project 2 Final

Human-Robot Relationships Continue to Grow

Jake Glatting

Technology is increasing rapidly.  It is increasing so dramatically that some people believe the human race cannot keep up with the acceleration of technology. Technology is increasing rapidly, and robotics is one of the most profound areas of improvement within the technology sector. Robots are being used in all aspects of human life, including work lives, intimate relationships, and also personal lives. Technologically informed people seek an understanding to how the technical aspect of robotics will alter human life in the future. They try to understand the specific components of robots and how they will aid the future or potentially ruin it. There are also others who are not so informed. These people may not understand the mechanical and systemic components of specific robots, but they have emotion and culture and they are sympathetic towards what their futures may look like. The controversy and debate over whether robotics will help or harm human future is growing. More and more articles, papers, and other items are being published and produced predicting the future of the coinciding world of humans and robots. One University of St. Thomas undergraduate has written about his feelings towards robots and their effect on the future. He believes that robots will help humans increase productivity in the workplace, expand options for humans intimately, and cause humans to continue to grow fonder for technology in our personal lives as well. In Current and Future Relationships Between Robots and Humans, Miguel Valez appeals to both a knowledgeable and unknowledgeable audience by using rhetorical strategies and situations along with implementing cultural values throughout the paper. Valez draws the attention of robotics fanatics and professionals by referencing expert sources from the robotics realm, but he also captures the lesser informed audience by appealing to emotion and incorporating cultural values within his paper.  

Firstly, Valez attempts to inform readers about the robotics controversy using rhetorical strategies such as referencing expert sources while combining his knowledge of the robotics industry that he has developed through his studies towards a  “computer science major, physics minor, and the liberal arts” (Valez 1).  Along with a passion and prior knowledge for what he is writing about, Valez proves, in multiple areas of his paper, that he has developed credibility. In the early portions of his paper, Valez appeals to the informed audience by discussing specific, technical aspects of certain robots and how his research and experimentation with robots sparked an interest that eventually led to his paper. He states that his “typical work cycle is to write my program, compile it, and upload it to the Arduino microcontroller via a USB cable.”  He mentions that he works with an “object-oriented application programming interface” (Valez 2). To the normal audience, does not mean much, but to the professional audience that has intelligence in robotics, this appeals to their thoughts that Valez is a credible source who understands what he is talking about.  In Valez's paper, he includes sources that range from presentations at conferences to deep, involved papers from popular sources within the topic. He quotes a professor at his university, Kate Lockwood, discussing her thoughts on an activity that is used in class to portray robots and their emotions.  This gives the audience a prior background to someone who was once academically involved in Velez's life, allowing for readers to begin to get an understanding for Valez’s passion for robotics. He then brings in ideas from Yusuf Jelili Amuda and Ismalia B Tijani on their thoughts about sexual relationships between robots and humans. Both of these figures have expertise, proven in their help in the publication of the International Journal of Sustainable Development.   The introduction to the technical aspect of an emotional topic such as this one gives Valez a personal connection and relationship to both his informed and uninformed readers. Along with citing over ten sources, Valez also gives his own expertise.  By mentioning what he is studying, Valez proves that he has expertise in the paper, making it known that he has credibility and that he is not just a random source discussing the topic. This continues to portray a passion for the topic of the paper. It is an obvious conclusion that when someone is passionate about a subject they discuss, research, and develop more than if someone has little care about a topic. Valez continues, throughout his text, to provide details on the controversy using credible sources combined with his expertise.

Valez’s ability to show both sides of the argument and counter argue against a claim he disagrees with creates credibility and attraction. Valez declares, “I argue that while there are some jobs that robots are able to perform instead of humans, certainly affecting that economic sector, the vast majority of jobs are not able to be fully taken over by robots in the near future" (Valez 6,7). This indefinitely shows that Valez has an understanding for both sides of the story, but chooses to agree that robots can aid the work force in the future rather than hurting the economy by taking over jobs that can be performed by humans. The use of counterargument in this case is not drastic, but it allows enough thought to remind readers than robots can truly help the economy and the working class by improving production. All of these strategies that are being used in Valez's text improve the credibility and validity of his argument. They show that he is passionate about the topic, that he has a knowledge for the topic, and that there are other people who agree with him. Lastly, his work is even more valid because he does not show any biases or assumptions that impact his credibility.  He is very straightforward and does not dwell on his past experience or emotions.

Along with using sources and his expertise to appeal to his the more informed, professionals on robotics, Valez also appeals to the less knowledgeable by incorporating cultural values and beliefs as well as other emotional appeals in his paper.  He states, "Our family is an essential part of our lives since we share a special connection with them" (Valez 4). This shows that he is in touch with the norms of society and he understand s that emotion plays a role in the topic being discussed.  He also references that "... there are many people who believe that sexual relations with robots would affect society in a negative way, especially marriages and the way that people perceive people of the opposite sex" (Valez 7). This is important because it proves that he cares about what people think and he wants to make it known that he understands how culture plays a role in the development of robots. This understanding drives readers to want to continue reading. It connects readers. It allows them to have a deeper connection to Valez and his paper.

Valez also shows credibility and entertainment in his work  through his use of emotion. He uses repetition, word choice, and formality to portray emotion throughout his paper in order to appeal to his audience and keep them interested. He uses key words multiple times, such as "personal," and "sexual," and "relationship" (Valez). The use of these words keep the readers interested because it appeals to their emotional and spiritual connection to the paper. The readers are drawn to deeper thought with these words, allowing for a closer reading. The development of a closer reading brings readers to side with Valez and begin to think alongside how he things and feels. Using a developed word choice and a mix of formal and casual writing, Valez shows that the topic is a serious, but fragile and should be considered as such. He uses words like "stimulate" and "perceive," which are both more impressive words than their lesser counterparts (Valez). By doing so, he enables readers to understand that the topic is serious; however, he has a casual way of writing which allows him to express his opinion in a very comfortable manner. He does this to appeal to a reader's personal experience with the paper in order to warrant and even greater relationship with Valez himself, and also this text. He is able to create the thought in readers’ minds that robots  can be productive and useful in intimate and personal aspect of human life.  Similar to using more knowledgeable sources and cultural values and beliefs, he connects with readers to show that he is just like them. He is not above them, looking down on them, but instead, he is just another human being that is discussing the situation with his counterparts. These emotional appeals improve his credibility because it shows that he cares about the topic and is willing to be extensive in his research, but also personal with the information.

In the future, robots may have the ability to make the movies come true and begin a robot apocalypse. Robots could take over the planet, destroy the things that humans love, and go about doing so with no emotional connection to what they are doing; however, the chances of this occurring are far beyond slim. As Valez mentions throughout his entire examination of the controversy surrounding robots in the future, robots are on the rise, but for the good of the human race, not for the destruction of it. Valez believes that robots will aid productivity in the working class and allow the economy to boom because of it.  Intimate and personal lives with robots will also develop greatly in the near future. Many people are already drawn to technology and some even feel as though they have a personal connection to their devices. Even though it may seem absurd at times, robots can truly help personal lives in the future. Because robots are beginning to look, feel, and act more like humans than ever before, it comes to no surprise that people will begin to feel as though they have an emotional connection with them. This paper, and papers similar to this, will continue to be persuasive and will continue to be entertaining and informing because of the drastic changes that have occurred and will continue to occur in the robotics world. Robots are not going away, they are developing, growing, and improving every day. Valez is not the first, and certainly will not be the last to state that robots are here to help humans’ work, personal, and intimate lives.

Sources Cited

Velez, Miguel (2015). Current and Future Relationships Between Humans and Robots. 1-9.  University of St. Thomas.