Futurist Chris Riddell believes we are entering a utopian world where humans and robots co-exist

A LEADING futurist believes we better get used to a world with robots and humans living side-by-side. However, the outlook is not as grim as you would think.

‘Robots are not going away’

WE might as well get used to the idea of a world with humans and robots existing side-by-side as there is about to be a paradigm shift in the way we interact with technology.

This is the message from award-winning and globally renowned futurist Chris Riddell following his research into the future of consumer technology.

“At the moment we still see robots as machines and computers, but in the very near future we will see them as something entirely different,” he told news.com.au.

Mr Riddell said the concept of a lonely man falling in love with his computer’s operating system was no longer a far-fetched premise explored only in Hollywood films; rather he believes sexual and emotional connections with robots are a distinct possibility in the near future.

“As robots and computing systems become more advanced to the level they can think and interact, we will see the natural blurring of lines regarding relationships between humans and technology,” he said.

Author of Love and Sex and Robots David Levy shared these sentiments when describing his predictions for the future of relationships.

“For whatever reason there are huge numbers of people who just don’t have a relationship with someone they can love and someone who can love them,” he told news.com.au.

“For people like that, I think that sex robots will be a real boon. It will get rid of a problem they’ve got, fill a big void in their lives and make them much happier.”

However, Mr Riddell points out the advancement of robotic technology covers much more than the emerging world of teledildonics and humanoids.

“Robots will come in many shapes and sizes, and they not necessary going to be this Star Wars type robot that sits in front of you with face, eyes and ears,” he said.

“There are already housekeeping robots in existence and in the very near future there will be more robots designed to help us have more efficient lives by taking care of banal tasks.”

At the forefront of this category is emergence of driverless cars.

“There have already been tests carried out in South Australia and we’re going to be using driverless cars here in the next three to five years. I absolute promise you,” he said.

The concept of robot servants has been around a long time, only now it is in our grasp.

SHOULD WE BE SCARED?

Whenever the concept of artificial intelligence is raised, the focus often shifts to a Terminator-esque scenario in which robots take over the world.

However, Mr Riddell thinks people should spend less time worrying about our demise from the hands of our robotic overlords and more time concerned with how they can be used to improve our life.

“What robotics does is allows us to drive better efficiency and allows us to do things differently,” he said.

Mr Riddell said since the dawn of the Industrial Revolution, there has been concerns about machines taking over the world.

“When ATMs were first introduced in Sydney, people were up in arms that these robots in the wall were going to bring the end of banking and cause people to lose their jobs,” he said.

“Of course, the exact opposite happened and in the seven years following, we had more branches than ever before.”

Mr Riddell believes the next surge of robots will muster a similar response, although he is confident the result will be the same.

“As human beings we hate change and are naturally adverse to it, but what we need to do is adapt and become resilient to it,” he said.

“Robots are not going away and that is a certainty.”

While Mr Riddell is confident of a utopian future in which humans and robots coincide, some of the world’s biggest technology moguls harbour different ideas.

Stephen Hawking said our future depends on the method in which humans decide to use this ever-evolving technology.

“The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race,” he told BBC.

“It would take off on its own, and redesign itself at an ever-increasing rate. Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn’t compete, and would be superseded.”

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates took a similar stance on the issue.

“I am in the camp that is concerned about super intelligence. First the machines will do a lot of jobs for us and not be super intelligent. That should be positive if we manage it well,” he told BBC.

“A few decades after that though the intelligence is strong enough to be a concern. I agree with Elon Musk and some others on this and don’t understand why some people are not concerned.”

While we have to be cautious when dealing with AI and robotics, Mr Riddell it is unlikely we will experience a Terminator-esque event.

HOW FAR OFF IS THIS CHANGE?

Mr Riddell said when future generations study history, we will be considered the era responsible for changing the way humans and technology interacted.

“We know that technology is a huge part of our lives today and the last 10 years have seen a dramatic shift in useful technology,” he said.

As for an exact time frame, Mr Riddell expects big changes to occur very quickly.

“In 20 years time, we are going to look back and 2016 is going to marked in the calenders as the year that everything changed.”

Mr Riddell explained his predictions were based off an in-depth analysis of data collected eBay’s Innovation Lab — a research project in Sydney monitoring consumer behaviour in regards to future tech.

“We tracked everyone’s eye movement, how long they spent on a device and what their reactions were while using that device,” he told news.com.au

After completing the tedious task of sifting through the data collected, Mr Riddell was able to determine robotics was the field in which Australian consumers showed the most interest.

“We have started to see the emergence of robot technology already, but in the next 12 months it is really going to kick off to meet consumer demand,” he said.

Mr Riddell said virtual reality, hologram technology and 3D printing were also flagged as strong growth points following eBay’s Innovation Lab.