To protect ourselves from the possibility of robots running amok and destroying humanity, I think they should be programed with human foibles and weaknesses, like, say, vanity and insecurity, thereby opening them to mild manipulation.

Then, faced with a robot attacker in a dark alley, one would smarmily say, "Where did you get that divine gleam to your metal carapace? I've never seen anything like it!" Or, "Oh, my! You have a black streak on your faceplate! Do you want me to rub it off with my handkerchief?" Or even, "I have just the thing for you - it will pull your entire look together. Hang on just a second while I run home and get it..."

Labels: Cogitation