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The National
4 days ago
- Science
- The National
Humanoid robots pose an ethical dilemma we've long prepared for
Earlier this week, an Edinburgh University lab exemplified the second option. Looking like a toad made from rubbery stickle bricks, it's a 'soft robot' – one that can (with a whiff of air pressure) walk out of its own 3D-manufacturing unit. They'll be useful for nuclear decommissioning, biomedicine and space exploration, says the lab. Great! Robots as curiously shaped facilitators of a cleaner, healthier, more ambitious world. Safely in the background. READ MORE: I've voiced ScotRail trains for 20 years and was replaced with AI without being told And then there are the humanoid robots (or HRs), currently cavorting all over your news feed. They're landing punches as Thai boxers in Hangzhou, China. They're playing badminton (admittedly with an extra two legs) in Zurich, Switzerland. A BMW factory, in the improbably named American town of Spartanburg, already has humanoid bipedal robots assembling parts on the production line (they're also starting in a Hyundai plant later this year). Chinese state-run warehouses in Shanghai have human operators manipulating HRs, getting them to fold T-shirts, make sandwiches and open doors, over and over again. All generating data they can learn from, to act effectively in the near future. Those who keep half an eye on radical technology may be a bit perplexed. Wasn't there some relief in the utter klutziness of robots, as they attempted to negotiate a few stairs, or turn a door knob? Didn't we share their pratfalls gleefully on social media – the bathos (if not hubris) that kept us relatively sane, in these accelerating times? Computers might thrash us at most cognitive tasks. But tying shoelaces, making pizza, wiping a child's nose? Not yet, and maybe not ever. Hail the embodied human, and their evolved physical capabilities! Well, there's a different track opening up. It's partly driven by the sci-fi imagination of the tech bros, East and West: most of these humanoid robots look like the rebellious droids in the 2004 movie I, Robot. But it's also an assumption that the new, actively-learning models of artificial intelligence can do for humanoid robots what they've done for language, visuals and coding. Which is to generate plausible and coherent behaviour in the physical world, as they generate the same for prose or images. Just to state the obvious: there's economic interest here. The target of these companies is a unit that can learn skills as required, flipping from task to task like a human worker. 'You can imagine a supply store has one, and that robot can be in the backroom depalletizing, cleaning, stocking shelves, checking inventory, just a huge range of things,' says Jonathan Hurst, co-founder and chief robot officer at Agility Robotics. Working 24/7, only stopping to be charged: 'That's where the real value comes in', concludes Hurst. READ MORE: Union slams Scottish companies using voice data without consent for new AI announcers The point of a humanoid-like machine seems obvious to most of these entrepreneurs. The world is already designed for humans, and maximum profitability will come from robots stepping competently and confidently into this environment. As the big business consultancies are predicting, the price for a working humanoid might descend to as low as $15,000 within the next few years, certainly lower as production scales up. That starts to become a viable business case for many enterprises – if the devices deliver on the performance promises currently being made. Let's assume (and it may be a major assumption) that physical robotics is on the same exponential curve as the computations of AI (and indeed directly rides on the latter's ascent). What that instantly opens up is a vast archive of myths and tropes about the fearful prospect of creating artificial humans, and how they'll live among us. We've been preparing for this ... READ MORE: From the editor: We're all sick of Farage. But we can't 'just ignore him' Greek mythology had Hephaestus making automatons – self-moving golden handmaidens with 'intelligence in their hearts'. Pygmalion the sculptor fell in love with his statue Galatea; Talos, a giant bronze automaton powered by ichor, guarded Crete. Across ancient India and China, still more defensive robots were imagined: the Buddhist text of Lokapannatti describes mechanical warriors that protected relics in subterranean cities. Back in Europe, the golem was raised to defend the Jewish ghettos. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein directly addresses our capacity to make humanoid subjects, and the ethics of the life we might share with them. And we mustn't forget that the term 'robot' itself comes from the Czech genius Karel Čapek, and his 1920 play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) – 'robota' being Czech for forced labour. So right at the core of this domain's name sits the main anxiety we have about it. What does it mean for us to create an entity that we intend will work (or fight) entirely on our behalf? It's one of the deeper, more civilisational arguments against a humanoid robot. Which is that it revives a master-slave framing from the worst of our past. An original cruelty of power that generates many others. The great auteur of human weirdness, filmmaker Stanley Kubrick, articulated this well in his final movie, A.I. (posthumously realised by Steven Spielberg). The robot boy David – and we shouldn't forget the underlying Pinnochio reference – is eventually discarded: he was a substitute for a real boy, who eventually revives from his coma. Kubrick/Spielberg show how distorted human relations become – how resentful, harsh and violent – when these ever-more-perfect humanoid entities move among them. Their various roles of servitude do not protect them. The end of the movie delivers a severe judgement on human morality. The robot boy is rediscovered, by beautifully communal 'mechas', on an utterly drowned and terminated Earth. On David's request, the mechs revive a clone of the human 'mother' who pushed him out into the forest. They are able to share one last, gentle day together. READ MORE: How much has your MP claimed in expenses? See the full Scottish list here The movie never fails to break my heart. But given the ethical dilemma it presents – do we really want to be masters in a society of slaves, again? – we might hope that the humanoids keep failing to turn that doorknob. We really don't know what's coming. From the AI side, will developments in computation generate artificial consciousness, as well as artificial intelligence? By consciousness, I mean an entity which knows that it exists, experiences the world, has goals and desires and values. If that intentionality and interiority appears, and begins to talk with us, we may anticipate one of its explicit interests: the rights of robots, operating under conditions of servitude. How might we respond? I'd suggest A.I. the movie shows us how we shouldn't. Perhaps I'm operating in a very Western framework. As many scholars note, animist religions (whether Japanese or Chinese) do not sharply divide between the animate and inanimate. The robot in Japan is not necessarily monstrous, but can possess 'kokoro' (heart/mind). Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy, flying about the comic strips of a traumatised Japan in the 1950s, was a great example of this. A moral child-robot with atomic powers, seeking justice. I duly note that the most-watched Netflix production this week is The Wild Robot. The machine ROZZUM (Unit 7134) lands on an island teeming with wildlife, to which it slowly begins to relate and co-exist with. Kept in a bubble from marauding, egoistic humans, Roz is able to establish a kinship with these fundamentally different entities, evoking the most profound ecological themes. Our sense of kinship with non-human animals should be obvious: the bass note of our responsibility to protect and honour the natural world. But should we prepare for kinship with these artificial entities? And should we ask whether casting them in humanoid form lays in more trouble than it's worth? Edinburgh's stickle brick frog is made from gel, wobbly but ready for its limited tasks. It may be a more tractable robot than the gleaming Optimals marching – or we may still hope, shuffling – out of Silicon Valley.
Scottish Sun
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Axed Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa reveals new job after BBC show exit
His next project will involve a host of Oscar winners TIME TO MOVE Axed Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa reveals new job after BBC show exit Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) AXED Doctor Who star Ncuti Gatwa has revealed a huge new job after his BBC show exit. We previously revealed that the former Sex Education star was given the boot by bosses after just two series. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 5 Ncuti Gatwa has revealed his new project after he was forced to step aside on Doctor Who Credit: Getty 5 BBC bosses have given him the boot after just two series Credit: BBC 5 The actor will appear in a satirical comedy film with A-list actors Credit: Instagram Ncuti, 32, has left the long-running drama after 'woke' storylines have seen ratings plummet in recent years. The actor is off after just two series with no replacement likely for the Time Lord's regeneration on May 31. Now, the actor is quickly moving on as he has just announced his next project on social media. He will stay in the upcoming satirical black comedy film called The Roses. The star took to his Instagram stories as he displayed the poster of the Hollywood movie, alongside a simple rose and red heart emoji. It features a completely star-studded cast of Hollywood A-listers and Oscar winners. Benedict Cumberbatch, Olivia Colman, and I, Tonya star Allison Janney all have leading roles in the new flick. While former Saturday Night Live favourites Andy Samberg and Kate McKinnon will also have feature roles. The news comes after Ncuti backed out of announcing the UK's jury scores in last weekend's Eurovision Song Contest. He pulled out of his commitments just 48 hours before he was due to appear in front of 160million people. Doctor Who's wokest ever lead star Ncuti Gatwa axed after just two series with show set to be paused after ratings nosedive At the time, the corporation confirmed he would no longer be involved, citing 'unforeseen circumstances' and he was replaced by Sophie Ellis-Bextor. This was amid controversy among some at Israel's inclusion in the global singing competition and Ncuti stepped aside moments after Israel qualified for the grand final. A TV insider said: "If the final nail wasn't already in the coffin, it was well and truly hammered in after that. "Bosses were incredibly disappointed. Ncuti, as the Doctor, is one of the corporation's most high-profile faces. Who has starred in Doctor Who? Which actors have portrayed the famous Time Lord over the years? First Doctor: William Hartnell (1963 - 1966) Second Doctor: Patrick Troughton (1966 - 1969) Third Doctor: Jon Pertwee (1970 - 1974) Fourth Doctor: Tom Baker (1974 - 1981) Fifth Doctor: Peter Davidson (1982 - 1984) Sixth Doctor: Colin Baker (1984 - 1986) Seventh Doctor: Sylvester McCoy (1987 - 1989) Eighth Doctor: Paul McGann (1996) Ninth Doctor: Christopher Eccleston (2005) Tenth Doctor: David Tennant (2005 - 2010) 11th Doctor: Matt Smith (2010 - 2013) 12th Doctor: Peter Capaldi (2014 - 2017) 13th Doctor: Jodie Whittaker (2018 - 2022) 14th Doctor: David Tennant (2023) 15th Doctor: Ncuti Gatwa (2023 - present) "His withdrawal was incredibly embarrassing. It caps what has been a largely depressing tenure in the Tardis for Ncuti." Execs are likely to rest the 62-year-old show to consider who might revive its fortunes. 5 The Sun revealed the news of Ncuti's departure
Mint
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Social reform amidst a sea of poppies
Vivek Chaudhary's I, Poppy is a ruminative film on poppy cultivation and the insidious way the process in India is tied to exploitation more than growth. It throws light on government policies, which issues licences for opium poppy cultivation and buys back the produce at Centre-decided rates, and outlines the helplessness of farmers and their vulnerability to corruption. The filmmaker, however, inspects the social malaise through a personal dynamic. At the heart of I, Poppy lies Vardibai, a Rajasthan-based poppy farmer and her iron-willed, schoolteacher son, Mangilal. There is a world of difference between them. Vardibai is old and unlettered; the middle-aged Mangilal is the first educated member in the family. She spends her time tending to poppy flowers; her son either talks over the phone indoors or rousingly speaks to farmers outside. They are Dalits but differ in their responses to injustice. Vardibai is passive to the aggressive money-making tactics by corrupt officers where licences are revoked at will; Mangilal mobilises crowds to fight against manipulation of farmers. She discourages him from protesting but he carries on, as if, fed on the very crop they sow, he is intoxicated to the idea of social reform. I, Poppy, with its intimate title, offers a sobering portrait of a rebel and the cost of his rebellion. Shot over four years, it underscores the loneliness that comes with it and by insisting activism to be a full-time job, also questions its feasibility in a dissent-averse country like India. The film premiered and won the best international feature at Hot Docs, marking a consecutive win for an Indian protest documentary at the Canadian documentary festival. Last year, Nishtha Jain's Farming the Revolution secured the coveted honour. Prior to the announcement, Chaudhary spoke about his journey. Edited excerpts from an interview. How did you find Mangilal and Vardibai? I lived in western Rajasthan where opium addiction is a culture. Growing up, I have seen elders have this brown liquid while we drank milk. Opium can be a deadly drug but is also a benign pain relief medication. At some point, I got fascinated with poppy and in 2017, researched and realised how potent the crop is. Multiple factors—the Narcotics Bureau, the black market, people who require morphine for palliative care—try controlling it for vested interest. It started out as a bigger story and at some point, became too big which came with safety issues. We scaled it down by going back to the source where it is grown. In 2018, I shot with three families for a whole season (70-80 days for six months). But they ended up being scared to be on camera for a story like this. We were in a fix. Then at a protest, I met Mangilal. Initially we did not like him because he talked too much (laughs). We were also looking for someone older like a quintessential Rajasthani farmer. On a whim Mangilal asked us to come home and meet his mother. We agreed. His mother didn't consider our presence. From the moment she saw her son, she started scolding him for being late. She kept saying, 'you will be killed. Don't do this". I asked if we could shoot, and when we did, the presence of the camera almost had no effect on them. I realised it was a great story. The fact that they are from the Dalit community informs their resistance. But it appears that you had not set out to explore it. Absolutely. When I was looking for families to shoot with, I was taken only to villages where upper caste people lived. Lower caste people live tucked away and our attempts to talk to them were thwarted by village heads. Access was difficult. But when I met Mangilal and his mother, I was struck by the dynamic they shared. We tried not overplaying their caste. There is one reference at the 60-minute mark but there are many references to (B.R.)Ambedkar. His portraits adorn their house and Mangilal wears the Ambedkar blue. Mangilal was associated with the Bharatiya Janata Party in fringe capacity 10 years ago. Later, he read books about Ambedkar and realised that he walked a certain way into the world because of that man. Vardibai resists fighting bigger battles because she has grown up in a world where untouchability was rampant. She wants to protect whatever space she has. You shoot them differently, opting for static framing for Vardibai and more frenetic shots for Mangilal. Our visual treatment became clearer while writing the several applications to procure funding. Mustaqeem Khan, the cinematographer, and I decided on the filmmaking intuitively. Since Vardibai spends most of her time in the field, we put the camera on a tripod. Mangilal has this relentless pace. A million thoughts go inside his head so we had to be ready. The film interprets the social reality the poppy farmers are in through the difficult relationship between Mangilal and his mother. Yet, a sense of boundary comes through in the way you have shot them. For instance, we never see Mangilal in his room. His wife remains absent till she appears in one scene but her face is obscured. His sons appear much later. Was this due to limited access? During shooting, we stayed at their house. They cleared the storage room and put out two cots for us. There was a connection, especially between me and Mangilal. In a way, both of us are stuck because of who we are as people. If he was not an activist, he would go on with his life, and if I was not a documentary filmmaker, I would invest my time and energy somewhere else, and not keep going back to making films where there is nothing, financially speaking. Even with his mother, I could converse freely because I speak the language. We got a rhythm of their lives. Mangilal and his wife have a difficult relationship and although we shot with her, we both felt uncomfortable. Initially, when his sons and he argued or fought, Mustaqeem and I stayed in our room. It felt wrong to intrude. Little over a year later, we asked Mangilal if we could shoot and he instantly agreed. He could sense the film we were making. There was a push and pull in the filmmaking because a family dynamic had formed. 'I, Poppy' ends on a solemn note. Given that this is a film about a man standing up against a mammoth system that will only continue, when did you decide to stop filming? During the shooting, we got a sense that Mangilal's steps were becoming bigger. He was mobilising larger crowds and something was waiting to give. Either he will win, which is the story everyone wants to see, or he won't. Since this is India, one has to find that happy ending. This is why we give him a hero-like shot at the end. There could not have been a definite resolution but we wanted to see where things go. At the end, when the rain destroys their crops, it seemed like an appropriate point to stop. They won but they also lost. Ishita Sen Gupta is an independent film critic and culture writer. Her work is informed by gender and pop culture. Also read: How to make evacuation drills accessible for the disabled
Digital Trends
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
3 great BritBox shows you should watch in May 2025
Table of Contents Table of Contents I, Jack Wright (2025) Ludwig (2024) Unforgiven (2009) You're probably not actually out of American TV to watch, but whether you have or not, BritBox offers a welcome reprieve from the way we do TV stateside. The streaming service, which is dedicated to bringing you the best TV from the U.K., is filled with shows that are well worth exploring. We've pulled together three BritBox shows that are worth checking out this month. Are two of them about detectives? Yes, but you know what? The Brits make many detective shows, and we're more than okay with that. Recommended Videos Need more recommendations? Then check out the best new movies to stream this week, as well as the best shows on Netflix, best shows on Hulu, best shows on Amazon Prime Video, and best shows on Disney+. I, Jack Wright (2025) A very recent premiere on the service, I, Jack Wright tells the story of a woman who, in the aftermath of her husband's death by apparent suicide, makes a shocking discovery about his will. As she begins the process of contesting it, police investigate his death in order to determine whether everything is as straightforward as it appears. I, Jack Wright perfectly combines the devastation that comes after an intimate loss with some of the more intriguing elements from its premise. Told over the course of six episodes, the British drama is designed to keep you hooked from the very first episode. You can watch I, Jack Wright on BritBox. Ludwig (2024) Look, the Brits make a lot of mystery shows, and a lot of them are pretty great. Ludwig has a great and original twist that revolves around the twins at the show's center. When one twin, a detective, goes missing, his reclusive brother is convinced to stand in for him to get to the bottom of his brother's disappearance. All the while, he's also wrapped up in a separate murder investigation and can't clue anyone in to the fact that he is not, in fact, his brother. David Mitchell's remarkable central performance is a huge piece of why this show works, as is its careful management of several different tones. You can watch Ludwig on BritBox. Unforgiven (2009) A brilliant, straightforward drama that is not about detectives, Unforgiven follows a woman just released from prison after a 15-year sentence. As she tries to rebuild her life after spending half of her life behind bars, the series charts her attempts to reckon with all of the decisions that landed her in prison, even as the people she wronged begin plotting their revenge. Unforgiven is a show about what it means to come back into a society that might not welcome you and whether you can ever truly reconcile yourself to the worst things you've ever done. You can watch Unforgiven on BritBox.
New York Post
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Tom Brady honors exes Gisele Bündchen and Bridget Moynahan in Mother's Day tribute
Tom Brady celebrated 'all the incredible moms' in his life on Sunday by posting a heartfelt tribute on Mother's Day. The retired quarterback, 47, honored his exes, supermodel Gisele Bündchen, with whom he shares son Benjamin, 15, and 12-year-old daughter Vivian, and actress Bridget Moynahan, the mother of his 17-year-old son Jack. 'Happy Mothers Day to all the incredible moms I'm so lucky to have in my life,' Brady wrote with a red heart emoji, including a collage of family photos on his Instagram Story. 4 Tom Brady his mother, sisters and both of his exes, Gisele Bündchen and Bridget Moynahan on Mother's Day on May 11, 2025. Instagram/Tom Brady Bündchen, 44, is seen in one photo with their kids, while Brady posed with Moynahan, 54, and Jack in a separate image. Brady, who will begin his second season as Fox Sports' top NFL game analyst this fall, included a snapshot of his mother, Galynn Brady, and sisters Maureen, Julie and Nancy. Bündchen and Brady were together for 13 years before they finalized their divorce in October 2022. The future Hall of Famer and Moynahan dated for three years before calling it quits in December 2006. In a separate carousel post, Brady honored his mother and thanked her for being an example to their family. 'Happy Mother's Day to the strongest and most inspiring woman I know,' Brady wrote. 'Your love is the foundation of our family! You've faced life's toughest challenges with grace and determination, still always putting us first. 'Thank you for being our rock and an example for your kids and grandkids. We're endlessly grateful for everything you've done and everything you continue to be. We love you more than words can say ❤️❤️❤️.' 4 Tom Brady looks on prior to Super Bowl LIX between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs at Caesar's Superdome in New Orleans on February 9, 2025. Sports Illustrated via Getty Images Bündchen celebrated her first Mother's Day as a mom of three after giving birth to a son with boyfriend Joaquim Valente earlier this year. The former Victoria's Secret model shared a Mother's Day collage of her own and gave an update on her 'very busy' life. 'I've been quiet over here but very busy living the most beautiful moments aren't shared — they're simply lived,' Bündchen wrote. 'Lately, I've been embracing the slower rhythms, the real connections, the beauty in the lessons that come with being present. 'Today, on Mother's Day, I specially miss my mom, but my heart is full. Being a mother it's been my greatest gift, a journey that humbles me, teaches me, and fills me with gratitude every single day. To all the mothers out there, your love shapes the world in ways words can't describe. I see you, I honor you. Happy mother's day! Sending so much love your way! ❤️.' 4 Tom Brady and Bridget Moynahan attend the premiere of 20th Century Fox's 'I, Robot' at the Village Theater on July 7, 2004 in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images 4 Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen with their three kids. Instagram Bündchen shared an image of her newborn son wearing a onesie with the message, 'I love mom.' She included a snapshot of a group hug with her kids and Valente, and paid tribute to her late mother, Vania Nonnenmacher, who died at the age of 75 in January 2024 after battling cancer. Bündchen confirmed her relationship with Valente in March 2024.
