While almost half of the British population fear technology is moving too far ahead of our ability to cope, 17 percent say they're not going to miss the fun if offered the chance to have sex with a robot.
Two thousand Britons participated in the One Poll survey of attitudes to technology conducted last month in anticipation of the launch of "Almost Human," a sci-fi TV drama to launch in the UK next week.
"Everything that is useful has within it the potential to be abused. So there are dangers inherent in robots; just as there are with cars, trains and ships," says Martin Smith, professor of robotics at University of Middlesex and head of the team that conducted the poll. "It has been said that when robots become more intelligent than us, if we are lucky, they might keep us as pets. If we are unlucky, they might treat us in the same way as we treat chickens, pigs and cows."
More than one in three of the people surveyed say they believe robots will take over and replace humans as the rulers of the world. Around the same number believe robots will replace them at their jobs. Among the jobs people believe will soon be assumed by robots are military jobs (45%), factory workers (33%) and astronauts (33%).
Although more than a third, or 35%, of those surveyed are concerned about the use of military drones, almost half, or 45%, believe that Britain will develop its own robot army within the next 10 years.
We will soon be seeing Robo-Cop style android police officers patrolling the streets of Britain, as per the 10% of the participants, while 8% think trucks, trains and airplanes will soon be manned by robots. This coincides with the 29% who say they will be more than happy to buy a car that drives itself, which should not be too far ahead as Google's driverless car is now equipped with the ability to recognize the intricacies of city driving, such as pedestrians, hand signals and bus stops.
It should not be all doom and gloom for British workers, though. As Professor Smith notes, "It is unlikely that all the humans will be replaced by robots in any task. It is much more likely that fewer people will be needed because for many years, robots will be assistants."
When asked if they would be willing to go to bed with a robot - one similar to the human-looking FemBots in "Austin Powers," perhaps - 17% said they would, while 29% said they wouldn't but would have no problems with the intrepid 17% who are willing to experiment. Almost half, however, thought sex with a robot was "creepy" while 14% believe robots should not be used for sex, although some 4% think robots will soon replace human prostitutes.
Interestingly, more than 25% believe robots will be able to feel human emotion in the future. 11% say they would like to have a robot child, just like David in "A.I.," while almost 20% say they would be happy to have a robot for a pet.
"In the future, robots will have emotional intelligence. Or to be more precise, robots will be able to show most, if not all, of the signs and behaviors of emotional intelligence. The robots will not feel, but like actors, they will be able to show emotional intelligence," opines Professor Smith.
We should not be expecting a robot child or a robot partner anytime soon, at least not in 50 years, since developing such a robot would cost "more than many companies could afford," says Professor Smith.
