How To Make A Human
Broadcaster
Things Unseen
TX Date
29th Nov 2016
Producer
Paul Arnold
Quotes
"...should you baptise a robot? Someone on social media said, "As long as it's not full immersion, you'll be fine"."
Beth Singler, Faraday Institute for Science and Religion, University of Cambridge
This ‘Things Unseen’ podcast wrestles with questions and problems that specialists, and very soon all of us, will have to address. In this episode, the fundamental (‘What makes us human?’) to the religious (‘Can robots have a soul?’) and practical (‘What will you actually do with our new android?’).
Our specialist panel is made up of the writers from Channel 4 hit series ‘Humans’ Sam Vincent and Jonathan Brackley; Kate Devlin of Goldsmiths, University of London, who is researching robots and sexuality; and Beth Singler from the Faraday Institute for Science and Religion at Cambridge University, who is exploring the social and religious implications of advances in artificial intelligence (AI).
Together they energetically, and candidly, discuss the ethical pros and cons of creating robots. Is it a good idea? And if we can have sex with one, what should they look like?
Regular Things Unseen presenter Mark Dowd stands ready to test for replicants.
