Artificial Intelligence and Industrial Robots: An Automatic end for Utopian Thought?

Abstract

Ideas of artificial men or thinking machines have pervaded legend and literature from the earliest times (1). It is perhaps only in the last twenty years or so, however, that technologies such as industrial robots and artificial intelligence have been developed which appear to have the potential to realize these ideas (2). The expression of such ideas and reactions to them have been diverse, embracing both the brightest Utopian and darkest dystopian themes, and discussions are found in many different contexts, ranging from myth to critiques of current technology.