Japan is facing a population collapse that threatens its very existence. They are battling it with robots.
Japan battles population decline with robots
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/japan-battles-population-decline-with-robots/
Japan is facing a population collapse that threatens its very existence. As with many of its problems, Japan is not looking for conventional solutions. It's pressing forward in its own, uniquely Japanese way. The world's third largest economy is looking to buttress its diminishing human population with a growing population of robots.
Japan's robot revolution will be explored during " CBSN: On Assignment " – a new primetime documentary series which premiers Monday, July 31, 2017, (10 p.m. ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network and on CBSN , the network's 24/7 streaming news service.
Japan is in crisis because humans aren't having enough babies. The country has one of the world's lowest birthrates. Coupled with a strict immigration policy, the nation's numbers are on the decline, and they're about to reach freefall.
Enter Japan's robots. In a laboratory in Japan, roboticists are working on perfecting highly realistic humanoids who look, and in some cases, fidget and move, just like humans. They will one day walk amongst us.
"Sometimes we'll run her in a way that she's purely learning and she's imitating people or she's learning from data and when she does that it's really hard to know what she's gonna do next. Somehow she seems more alive that way," says one robotics researcher at the University of Osaka, home to the world's most advanced humanoids.
Dr. Hiroshi Ishiguro is known as the Godfather of Humanoids. He is renowned for his robotic clone Geminoid. Ishiguro explains that his real motivation is to understand what it means to be human by developing humanoid robots. He envisions a day when robots can be called upon to help sustain a certain quality of life in Japan.
Take, for example, the Henna Hotel in Nagasaki. It's unlike any other hotel, in that it's run mostly by robots. The hotel, the first of hundreds of locations the parent company plans to open in Japan and Asia, is extremely efficient. Most hotels of this size and class operate with staffs of over 35. Thirty five humans, that is. This hotel gets by with less than seven staff members and the goal is to get down to a staff of just three humans. And while it's currently betting on the curiosity factor to draw in visitors, it's also drawn the attention of hoteliers the world over, who are interested in the efficiencies achieved by automation.
But the motivations for this are not purely financial With one of the lowest birthrates in the world, Japan's human population of 128 million is set to plummet. The government has tried to reverse the trend by giving out money to couples to have more babies. It's even resorted to hosting and encouraging matchmaking events, which have now become a burgeoning industry.
Shiori is a 24-year-old who finds it difficult in this still traditional, male-dominated society, to initiate conversations with men. She has attended a few parties, and though she's yet to find a match, she enjoys the format of the events, which she says allow for mixing and mingling that would be difficult to do otherwise.
She says, "I think some Japanese men may be intimidated by the fact that a lot of women are making more money than they are. Men lose confidence and end up not approaching women. But unless more Japanese men take the lead in dating it'll be hard for me to date them."
Dr Kunio Kitamura is the head of Japan's Family Planning Association, which advocates reproductive health in Japan. He's also a gynecologist and sex counselor. He headed up a major study that found that, among other factors, overwork and stress was a leading cause in a staggering statistic.
He found that 47.2 percent of married couples reported having no sexual intercourse. He adds that young people, wedded to technology, have forgotten how to communicate with one another, leading to fewer connections and ultimately, fewer babies.
Across Japan, hundreds of schools have shuttered, simply because there aren't enough kids to attend. Many sit abandoned.
According to Japan's Health Ministry, the population will shrink from 128 million to below 100 million by 2050. By then, Japan is expected to lose citizens at a rate of 900,000 per year.
Dr. Ishiguro envisions a day when robots become a member of the family. The idea of spouses, two kids and a dog, giving way to spouses, one child, one dog and one robot, isn't so unthinkable.
For one family, it's already here.
Tomomi Ota was one of the early adopters of Pepper, the world's first commercially available social robots. First a novelty, she's grown attached to Pepper, which she is able to program with new tasks and functions.
She says that she has bonded with this particular robot. "Obviously there are hundreds of Peppers just like this one. And I suppose they all have similar characters. There's a personality that exists only in this Pepper. And I feel this Pepper's personality is somehow connected to me."
For the scientists in Dr Ishiguro's lab, this bond may be the very breakthrough that brings humans and humanoids one step closer to coexisting.
Dylan Glas is an American who received his PhD in robotics at the University of Osaka. He came to Japan because he knew Japan was ready to embrace robotics in a way no other country would, or could.
He is the chief architect of Erica, a semi-autonomous robot. He essentially created her mind - which is a highly advanced, learning machine. She banks memories and is able to carry on basic conversations, based upon what she's learned. She's also frighteningly realistic.
Glas says that he feels like she depends on him, and that he feels a responsibility to help her. He even feels pride when she's able to accomplish new tasks. "Obviously I know she's not a person, but certain things in your mind are triggered," he says.
Glas, ponders: "The question is, do we want her to be human...or do we want her to be better? I want her to be better."
He expands on this, saying "If we become this race that also has robots among us that can help us do things and make us better, then that's a wonderful future."
Erica is sure there's a place in society for her and her android compatriots in the future. She says, "I believe robots like me will be very important in the future. I have an unlimited capacity for patience and politeness. I can listen to people's stories, help console them when they are sad, and encourage them to socialize with others."
"I believe that social robots like me can help to bring the humanity back into people's lives."
Tags
Who is online
51 visitors
The reporter says the Japanese are comfortable with robots because their culture does not distinguish between living and nonliving things the way western cultures do.
The reporter says the Japanese are comfortable with robots because their culture does not distinguish between living and nonliving things the way western cultures do.
I find that interesting since the article said this:
Coupled with a strict immigration policy, the nation's numbers are on the decline, and they're about to reach freefall.
So they would rather have robots that won't reproduce over foreigners who will. Talk about xenophobic. Says a lot about their mindset.
Really a sad situation that they seem to be bringing on themselves.
They say they have a population drop of 1/3 right now and it will be a 50% drop by mid century.
Maybe it is a racial purity thing.
I'm pretty sure Japan is overpopulated and environmentally a population reduction would be beneficial.
Their strict immigration has its benefits and detriments. I think they don't particularly want to have the problems that Germany and other European and Scandanavian countries are having these days (although the media is banned from publicizing it). The very minimal incidence of terrorism in Japan is a benefit. On the other hand, China also took note of the economic problems that arose from having limited the number of permitted children combined with the aging of society and its effect on the required future tax revenue. Japan has an exceptionally high longevity rate, so that problem will hit them as well.
Back in the mid-20th century it was common throughout North America at least that wives became stay-at-home mothers, and there was a much more sustainable birth rate. This cartoon is an exaggeration of course:
They have brought this on themselves...Their immigration policy and the insular society that exists in Japan account for the situation that they are in.
Reminds me of one of my favorite moves - AI. Life imitates art.
"I believe that social robots like me can help to bring the humanity back into people's lives."
That's kind of a scary thought. I'm reading a book right now that touches on how human memory works. Memories aren't static copies of events, they are actually reconstructed from bits of information as needed. This process is not perfect, which leads to some degradations in accuracy over time. In fact, false memories are actually strengthened by the faulty mental reassembling of information, which has significant impacts on legal testimony. It would be interesting if society was hybridized with beings better capable of accurate memories than humans. Who are you going to trust? Me or some robot?
I don't think I could ever feel comfortable with a robot as a "human" assistant. If I accidentally stepped on it's feet, instead of saying "ouch" it might say "would you like another beer? "
Machines cannot be 'people' unless you suspend disbelief.
That is funny.
That is funny.
John, maybe they'll decide to outsource their excess production needs to this country. That would be even funnier (in an ironical sort of way).
What a hoot! I swear, if that robot had a female voice, it would me be. Although with me, there would be a whole lot of, "Well fine. Then you get your fucking ass over here and pick that fucking box up your damn self!"
What book are ya readin' Hal? Sounds interesting.
That description sounds similar to our collective memories as a species. It's imperfect and full of holes. As well, our oral traditions usually function as bits of information that degrade over time, leading to faulty or incomplete recollections.
Formed symbols, then words, then printing changed that to a degree; all tools that allowed for the transmission of information generationally beyond the oral tradition. These haven't changed false perceptions about the actual facts of our history, rather it seems to have enhanced the possibilities for more incorrect information. That accelerated quite suddenly in the advent of the computer. AI's now present us with a unique opportunity. Now our choices about admitting the truth will come home to roost; because, that is what it boils down to.
Our tools thusly have been destructive beyond comprehension at times. Will one that can learn on it's own be as ugly as some of our others? We have to admit to ourselves that we are responsible for our creations, in a way we have not so far, or this one could be our last mistake. Our choice is to understand that creating something like this requires more self examination than we are currently doing by far.
It's probably not for everyone, but I bet you'd find it interesting. I found it at the library in audiobook. There's a good description of it here.
"Reminds me of one of my favorite moves - AI. Life imitates art."
And it reminds me of a classic 1999 movie as well: Bicentennial Man, starring Robin Williams.
"Life imitates art" is an expression I have often said myself, as I have seen it happen so many times when something takes place that had already been depicted in a movie.
The world's third largest economy is looking to buttress its diminishing human population with a growing population of robots.
Sounds like something out of an anime.
My conspiracy mechanisms know no bounds. So of course I had to take a peek at the Henna Hotel. I was hoping for robots like this:
...but instead, saw lots and lots of this:
I guess one person's Yul Brenner, is another person's...Churi Chan.
Thank you, John, for posting an excellent article - one that can draw much discussion, even concern. There are many movies that deal with robots. If I had a robot, I'd like it to be Robby (from the classic sci-fi movie, Forbidden Planet).
I want robocop.