Whether a greedy robot is always poor

Whether a greedy robot is always poor

Being asked to think about human traits, characteristics and/or qualities, my mind easily drifts towards the ones that are often categorised as positive traits. What qualities are best? What do I appreciate most in others? Which qualities do I find most attractive? I guess for most these are the most obvious questions one can ask.

Well, for this Artificial Creatures course, I will still focus on the more obvious questions and qualities, but the less attractive, sometimes negative ones, that in my opinion, contain an interesting link between the human and artificial. We're only human after all.

Greed

Greediness is something defined as a selfish and intense desire for more. Typically money or food. Where this is something most of us find repelling in other human beings, I believe we're all familiar with this feeling or act. We're only human after all. I should not drift of now, because for the last decade and right at this moment, countless bots are being trained to be greedy in the most efficient way. Algorithms that provide us with the most persuasive advertisements and product recommendations, barista-bots that not only serve us our preferred coffee, but also remember our preferences. The question that rises: Will they (the bots) take our jobs?

Greediness with a twist

Greedy bots learn us to reflect on ourselves, but more interesting, engage and think critically about the development of artificial creatures with human-like qualities. What if all bots became greedy at an instance? They might provide us with deeper reflection and appreciation towards ourselves and our designed system.

To step away from complex algorithms, I imagine a greedy bot as simple as it gets (no technical means). It's a strong magnet on a rope, hanging in a room where the ground is covered with souvenir magnets (link to greed - consumerism). It might swirl, it might hang. But it will take them!