“THE more that you read, the more things you will know,” wrote Dr Seuss in I Can Read with My Eyes Shut. So news that robots have taken their first steps towards literacy (see “Robots learn to read the writing on the wall”) is a welcome development for anyone wanting a smart domestic robot.
While an illiterate robot has to be walked through every new task that it is given, a literate robot can read and follow instructions on signs to work out for itself how to perform new chores quickly and efficiently. At least, that is the idea.
But, as followers of our Feedback section will know only too well, signs can be a source of confusion. Literate robots might encourage us to rationalise the ambiguities in our language, or their inability to follow signs might become a new form of entertainment.
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After a robotic chef has cooked a meal, will it be confused by a sign declaring: “Refuse to be put in bins”? Will a computerised concierge approach a door differently if it is “alarmed”? And how will a shopping robot react to a sign that stipulates “dogs must be carried”? The mind boggles.
