"Ole (a pseudonym) was an early cyberutopian, one of many who embraced the internet as a democratizing technology, overturning old monopolies and power imbalances. Then the internet was taken over by big-tech companies that established new monopolies and new power imbalances. Recently, he has begun to talk a lot about AI-enabled robots. How do humans fit into the plans of tech companies and aligned governments? And how will the widespread use of robots change our daily lives?"
"Before driving over, I ask Google about these robots. The AI overview barges in and immediately answers: Milton Keynes is home to a successful fleet of Starship delivery robots that deliver groceries and food, fostering a largely positive human-robot bond. These cute, little robot characters coexist with humans on the city's wide footpaths, operating in an "awareness bubble" to signal their presence and offer thanks for assistance."
"Starship Technologies, I learn, was co-founded by Ahti Heinla, an Estonian computer programmer who was formerly the chief technical architect of Skype. In 2013, Heinla led a team of engineers participating in the NASA Sample Return Robot Challenge. Their goal was to create a robot that could collect space stuff: Mars dust, moon rocks. The following year, Heinla and another Skype alumnus, Janus Fri"
A visitor drives to Milton Keynes to observe numerous robots operating in public spaces after a friend expresses alarm. A local outreach project has hosted robot-human interactions in Milton Keynes for seven years, featuring Starship delivery robots that transport groceries and food along wide footpaths. Public-facing AI systems portray the robots as fostering a largely positive human-robot bond, signaling presence through an "awareness bubble" and offering thanks for assistance. Starship Technologies was co-founded by Ahti Heinla, a former Skype technical architect; Heinla previously led an engineering team in the NASA Sample Return Robot Challenge to collect Martian and lunar material.
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