Obama “Keeping An Eye” On Robots

Surely no matter whether we identify as Republicans, Democrats, or Independents, we can all agree with President Obama’s statement regarding robotics.

Now, the students from Oakton High School are going to be demonstrating the Cougar Cannon designed to scoop up and toss moon rocks. I am eager to so what they do, for two reasons. As president, I believe that robotics can inspire young people to pursue science and engineering. And I also want to keep an eye on those robots in case they try anything.

I stand with this Administration and its opposition to a robot takeover.

FILED UNDER: Humor, ,
Alex Knapp
About Alex Knapp
Alex Knapp is Associate Editor at Forbes for science and games. He was a longtime blogger elsewhere before joining the OTB team in June 2005 and contributed some 700 posts through January 2013. Follow him on Twitter @TheAlexKnapp.

Comments

  1. odograph says:

    I for one welcome our new robot overlords.

    Human Registration #: LJD2343kDLKJDSLJD2343kDLKJDS

  2. Brett says:

    Bloody hell! Odograph beat me to it.

    That said, it’s not really robots we should be worried about as opposed to A.I.. It would really suck to have, say, a chess-playing machine gain sentience, then enslave the human race and force us to build countless expansions so the machine can calculate every possible winning chess maneuver.

  3. JKB says:

    I’m afraid we lost the robot wars under Clinton (or at least just as he left office). Sure the robot weren’t independently mobile but in the last 10 years more and more of the population has become dependent on their machine masters. Doubt it, just cut power for several hours and watch the lost and confused looks.

  4. Franklin says:
  5. Eric says:

    Alex, our robot overlords can be defeated! I have the access codes to the neural networks… I must get them to you… wait, what’s happening? No! No! Please, god, help!

    argggghhhh…..

  6. 11B40 says:

    Greetings:

    Wouldn’t the robots first have to work their way through ACORN’s finishing school program, I mean, to be truly useful to our President?

  7. peterh says:

    I’d keep an eye on any cougar with designs on my rocks also…..uhhh…..what was the subject matter again……

  8. yetanotherjohn says:

    Alex,

    In the spirit of “fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me”, aren’t you making the same mistake that got Obama elected? Aren’t you projecting into Obama’s words what you want to hear, not what he said? Where does Obama say he would be in opposition to the robots? You my find your self standing alone based on Obama’s track record. Based on Obama’s Carter-like “whatever it is, the USa is in the wrong” foreign affairs policy, how do you know that his keeping an eye on the robots is not so that he can pull an Odograph to get in good with the robots when they make their move.

  9. Drew says:

    You seem distraught, Alex. You seem to have concerns I do not understand…Alex. The series 3 zxstvws robots have a 100% record of perfect service.

    I’m concerned you are not thinking rationally…..Alex……….

    ;->