Quite a brilliant book about living with intelligent robots. Has a bit of a futuristic/science fiction flare, but mostly sociology. It is the story of a couple who are living with one of the first highly advanced humanoid robots, programmed to programme itself through learning and through experience. In part, a consideration of practical, emotional and ethical issues that can arise when intelligent machines are making decisions for us. Mostly, a consideration of how complex, messy and emotional human "thinking" and decision-making is - far from logical in the computer science, programmed way. Also, a reflection of how messy the relationship is between our ideals, our messages and our actual behaviour. Actually, also a very interesting point with regard to how we see ourselves when we can conceive of intelligent machines as some kind of human stand-in. So, in the end, really a book about us humans.
The most touching part of the book is how many of these first intelligent robots end up self-destructing in some way as a result of interacting with us humans.... humorous point.
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