Humour

Coping with the Frankenstein complex

T A Balasubramanian on the fear of dealing with non-human intelligence

Among your many avatars, you, Papyrus Bytewala, CIO of Baffle Corporation, have been thrown into the role of ‘technology tutor and system keeper’ to Danny DeVito, your CTO. As the first biped walking humanoid out of Ironica Robotica’s Bangalore laboratory, DeVito, acronym for Debonair, Vocal IT Oddball, under your watchful eye, is supposedly engaged in bringing the latest technology and efficiency boosters into Baffle’s leisurely culture.

Nobody except you, your CEO and a few others in your circle are aware of DeVito’s robotic roots. You recall Ms Robotica’s sage advice: “DeVito pushes the envelope way ahead of the curve. He has been designed to resemble the messy water-and-jelly constructed bodies that we humans all have by virtue of being born as the descendents of apes. Though he has the privilege of owning a human-like body, and a brain engineered by humans, he is free to adapt to life in the workplace using his own artificial imagination.”

“You know, DeVito, you should start thinking about what it means to be such a smart robot in the workplace masquerading as a human CTO,” you say, sitting across the table on this particularly dull weekend afternoon. It is one of those times when your daily rumble of maintenance, distress calls from users and general chaotic noises seem to have ebbed to a whisper, leaving you and your associate free to stretch your horizons.

“Hmm. And why do I need to do such a thing?”

“Let’s say it might help you understand why people—and by that, I mean humans like me, of biological origin—respond to the general idea of living and working with robots. One of the things that I have been reading about is that there would be more robots in the workplace among us, but a ‘Frankenstein complex’ prevents their wide acceptance, among other things.”

“Who is this Frankenstein? And what is a ‘Frankenstein complex’ if I may ask?”

“Well, the name comes from one Victor Frankenstein in the book Frankenstein, or ‘The Modern Prometheus,’ a story by Mary Shelley. Now, in this tale, Frankenstein creates an intelligent, superhuman being, who, however is so horrifying to behold that his creator abandons him. Ultimately, the vendetta between the embittered creation and Victor ends in a confrontation, with the latter meeting a grisly end. The creature is arguably the first real robot in literature, even though he’s completely organic. Later, the science fiction writer Asimov used the phrase ‘Frankenstein Complex’ to signify a fear of artificial humans.”

“Ha! But you do not seem to have such a complex, Papyrus. Else you would hardly be seen sitting here with me, chatting.”

“True. That’s because your creator, Ironica, did not, of course, make you horrifying to behold.”

“Well, thank you. I take that to be a nod of approval?”

“Indeed, Danny. You are a familiar Hollywood comic face, which is something disarmingly endearing. If you notice, when it comes to robots, Hollywood has been nurturing technophobia for decades. Almost every picture of advanced technology has been cynical. Terminator, Tron, Robocop, Godzilla, 2001 A Space Odyssey. And I am just naming these randomly. Those big directors like to play on our fear of the unknown. Non-human intelligence, or merely power of any kind, is a threat to human existence, or so we imagine, and the foxy scriptwriters know all this. The basic plot runs something like this—robots and technology are supposedly benign, technology has some small chance of going wrong, technology goes wrong in a cataclysmically terrible world-devastating way, and finally technology is overcome by good old humans.”

“So Hollywood scripts have made technology the villain and that has given life to the Frankenstein complex time and again?”

“Exactly. It is part of the language of Hollywood that any form of power can and most likely will be treated with stereotyped suspicion. This holds for politics, magic, nature, aliens and ancient monsters locked in ice and only recently thawed. And technology or science gets extra special treatment in this department. The fear and distrust of robots is central to many storylines. The irony is that Asimov knew all about this, and tried his best to foil this kind of plot entirely in his novels. In the robot tales, he weaved in themes to handle the Frankenstein Complex in different ways—creating non-humanoid robots, for instance, or limiting the range of abilities a robot can have. He made up a world in which robots truly do not harm human beings and are bound by his Three Laws. His tales explore the nature of consciousness, robotics, and the ethical dilemmas raised when dealing with intelligent law-bound beings. In each story, the Laws are tested in a particular situation, which reveals more about human nature than anything else. On the other hand, Asimov waged a battle to weed out the Frankenstein Complex in the real world —where technophobia is as present as in his fictional world. He was clearly aiming to challenge all that with his sensitive portrayal of humanoids that do not go crazy.”

“That’s a relief, Papyrus. I should read more of Asimov now. He seems to be the kind of guy I could acquire a liking for.”

“Now to get back to my subject, you should be aware that as robot makers—perhaps not all as sensitive as Ironica—prepare to unleash their creations into offices, they are confronted with a wall perhaps more daunting than the technical ones they have already cleared—human response. This includes factors like skepticism, unrealistic expectations and even confusion about what makes a robot. Thanks to Hollywood, the general attitude of the uninformed public towards robots is one of fear and suspicion—most ordinary people fear that robots will either replace them or dominate them. So you must move about with the greatest caution, never letting on to anyone that you are a humanoid.”

“But of course. My lips are sealed, Papyrus,” smirks DeVito.

“Technology usually intrudes in fairly measured ways—in little, incremental ways. Though most people already use and even interact with robots, they probably do not recognize it,” you continue. “Teller machines that offer money for cards, cameras that recognize and auto-focus on human faces, automated telephone operators—robotics is finding its way into our daily lives in very subtle ways. But you, of course, are from a different dimension altogether.”

“Ha! There you go again. I resent these casual comparisons, Papyrus, even though you make haste to deny them. Teller machines? Cameras? Will you be comparing me next with those quirky droids from ‘Star Wars’—what were they called? My memory is not as charged up as it used to be.”

“R2-D2 and C-3P0, Danny. But of course I do not equate you with those clowns. How could you even imagine that? While most people seem to have little problem with their unknowing interactions with robots, dealing with a creature that is clearly an automaton would probably bring up some of their worst fears. On the other hand, you are designed to look anything but like an automaton—you are completely and convincingly human—quirky at times, I admit—but nevertheless, a replica of the biological original.”

“Do you think I could get a role in a Hollywood movie? I could play the part of a human CTO hero quite convincingly.”

“You’re doing that already here, Danny.”