What if?...

[Alittleacorn]

I'm writing a new Astro boy fic and its a twist what if the Robots won and Tenma got his way with Astro? What the world look like when robots dominate the earth?

Would the world be better off with robots or humans or both?

Fans what do you think?

Hm this is a big question. I did think of it a while ago, so...

Well it really depends on the situations at hand. Shadow (in the Jap dub) true goal had never been war, the reason why Robotica was designed like a spaceship, to abandon Earth. Shadow even defys Tenma when he asks to be made into a robot so he can become a god, because Tenma would only have stirred up trouble as he often did in the anime (such as spilling info on where steel island was so some people would go destroy it, and then told Astro he would go and be forced to fight and evolve). Tenma became the thing he hated and he didn't even realize it.

Blue Knight was intent on destroying humans, I don't know how far that would've gone (if he only would have killed those who attacked robots or wiped out every human from the face of the Earth) what I do know is Blue Knight was under Shadow's leadership. When Blue Knight requested to kill the humans Shadow rejected, saying to wait for another way (as he believed Astro would resolve peace).

Now on Astro, logically he'd never allow Tenma to have his way with him as Astro has a strong sense of justice, and also seeks peace between robots and humans. If you meant about Tenma giving Astro that new robot body then again Astro would still refuse. No matter how you put it, Astro simply would not accept willingly on having his electronic brain transfered to that robot.

So lets think, if Astro had failed to talk Blue Knight out of peace, and Atlas and Pluto hadn't stepped into rescue him, then maybe some lives would've been lost from Red Duke's troops but that's all. Shadow seems determined to leave and wasn't keen to war.

The end result? it never would've happened, whatever way you look at it.

[Astronomical girl]

I ask my mom (I liked all your answers)
She said a robot even if given AI would never care for the earth becuase for instance

a large populace needs water and the only place that water exists is where special fish live, a human would look for another place for water while the robot would care less about the fish and just take the water. you cannot program compassion.

In my fic ,Astro is the only living robot with Kokoro while other robots have AI. He misses the animals and people and he hates the world he is forced to rule. I will publish the first chapter on FanFiction for you all to read and review. but I like to still talk about it.

[avatargirl]

Be better to be friends like ASTRO BOY is with humans and robots. That is what is wrong on this planet- people trying to dominate each other. ASTRO BOY is a friend to all and i try to be too. One reason that i love him is he cares. That is what made the robot on Lost in Space so nice- he cared- and ASTRO BOY cared BECAUSE Dr. Tenma wanted ASTRO BOY to be a caring boy robot. I think he did not realize that but he did- least that is my opinion. I love robots- and i hope they will become our friends- but more important- much more i love people and sad that they have problems- at times i feel so sad.
Thanks ASTRONOMICAL GIRL and everyone else- i love all of you and pray always that everyone here will be safe in all ways

[Alittleacorn]

I ask my mom (I liked all your answers)
She said a robot even if given AI would never care for the earth becuase for instance

a large populace needs water and the only place that water exists is where special fish live, a human would look for another place for water while the robot would care less about the fish and just take the water. you cannot program compassion.

In my fic ,Astro is the only living robot with Kokoro while other robots have AI. He misses the animals and people and he hates the world he is forced to rule. I will publish the first chapter on FanFiction for you all to read and review. but I like to still talk about it.

Hm, that seems possible if it follows differently from the anime. Perhaps you could have it robots took over the human race years and years ago and rule over the Earth. Or even better that maybe there's a few humans left but they're in hiding, or humans and robots are still fighting one another.

Maybe Shadow could be the one, not Tenma, who created Astro with the sole reason for him to carry on in his place as ruler. Either that, oooor it could be Tenma that created him, and Shadow is merely a mentor for Astro. o.o Say when Astro is ready (has come of age in a way) he'd get that freaky robot body.

But we know Astro, like you said he'd hate the idea of being forced to be a ruler and would want peace. Perhaps Astro could be a bit of a dreamer, that he's studied humans and animals in books and doesn't understand, nor like that they are fighting one another.

Maybe Astro could even meet some humans who he eventually gains their trust (if it were kids in trouble and he saved him, then that'd make sense as adults would take a lot longer to come around). That alone would make up Astro mind that he doesn't want to fight them.

You could be certain though Tenma wouldn't like Astro's way of thinking, most likely he'd want to stop it. But imagining a world where humans completely distrust robot could be interesting on Astro who only wants to help, that despite what he does they'd see him only as a robot.

...Er...is this too deep?

[AprilSeven]

@Astronomical Girl: I disagree with your mom -- Astro has compassion, and he's an "AI" -- he doesn't want the destruction or suffering of anything. And that's the only kind of "robot" I could envision guiding humans towards the same kind of behavior. We have free will, though so I guess the struggle of good v. evil will always go on --every generation faces it anew...

@ everybody -- I've been imagining Astro Boy "stories" for over 40 years (never seeing anything of him since the 60's until last year!) -- and so I kind of took his life in a direction that is "off the charts."

To MY thinking, not only would he want to mature and integrate with humans fully -- but he would eventually become fully human. With advancements in genetic engineering/cloning/etc. I would imagine Tenma or Ochanomizu would be able to clone Tobio's body, "age" it to be chronologically correct, and "download" Astro's memories (which, based on the 2009 movie, would include Tobio's memories too) into the human body.

Now mankind would have an individual who started as a human, lived for years as a "machine" -- then physically migrated back to a human body. I imagine that Astro's "AI" would enable him to understand and utilize the human body in ways we can't even begin to understand (being able, perhaps, to "use" our brains fully, and develop ways to "repair" malfunctioning parts of our bodies - plus understand our psychological make-up). THEN he could help us in ways beyond shear strength and power -- kinda like a "super Dali Lama!"

- cool, I like that!

[Astronomical girl]

My mom was refering to a realistic point of view and I think even in fictional point of view a robot uses logic even a basic AI robot uses logic. Hence why Shadow neglected Tenma's ideals and tried to encourage peace.

Recall that Shadow pointed out that Astro has a heart of a "human" ie Tobio's humanity while The Blue knight had the heart of a robot. the Blue knight has AI.

Kokoro is slightly different from AI because AI doesn't imply compassion. there is no logic to compassion. Kokoro uses reason to a certain extent becuase pain involves a loss or harm,anger involves aggrivation, happiness involves a calmness. these strong emotions have some reason. Compassion is a strictly human trait becuase a human is more likely to help the sick animal rather then keeping up with the already healthy [animal]s.

[AprilSeven]

hmmmm . . . I did not know the differences between AI and kororo (kind of saw them as one and the same) -- but based on what you've stated there -- NO ROBOTS, PLEASE!!

[diehard67]

it seems to me that kokoro is an advansed type of ai that can more closley emulate the human brain, aaaaaaaaaa as long as my brain is not the model being emulated then the robot should be fine, otherwise he will be a usless pule of junk.

[Astronomical girl]

I thought you were pro-robot.

and if you go on Todou and clicked on the "night before the revolution" there is a sequence where Dr.O'Shay talks to Shadow about Astro and the Blue Kngiht.

[jeffbert]

Asimov had Elijah Baily state that Robots were logical, but not reasonable. By this, he meant that a robot would take seriously any threat a human might make, while another human would obviously realize that it was just an idle threat. Therefore, a cunning human could manipulate a robot. However, it seems there are more than a few differences between robots in A's & T's writings. A may have been writing stories that really did ask difficult questions about the technology, while T used robots as metaphors for the human underclass.

I for 1, cannot think of a way to program compassion, other than as a module that operates on standard logic as opposed to AI. I think the very idea of 'AI' usually assumes that the robot would only consider its own interests. PKD's DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP, does make convincing arguments for this assumption.

There was a B-scifi film in which the alien invader operated purely on logic, and the man who opposed it noted the disadvantages to it, but I cannot recall the title.

I believe compassion is defined as doing things solely for others' benefit. Why should a robot care about those who can do nothing for it? That is, as an infant AI robot, one that learns everything from scratch, including how to walk, use hands, etc, why would it develop a sense of compassion? For that matter, why do humans?

On the other hand, a robot that when 1st activated has a personality, or knows how to do things, could be pre-programmed to act compassionately. But this would not be a true AI.