We’re fascinated with robots because they are reflections of ourselves.- Ken Goldberg
Recently this year, another one of our inventions broke our pre-existing notions. We all have prepared for the jobs in manufacturing, services and several other industries to be someday taken by robots. Politics, however, we could all have been so sure about that it will always be a duty of man. New Zealand, got it’s first Robot Politician which runs on Artificial Intelligence. It’s creator says that by 2020 it will get so intelligent, that it will be able to contest elections. This makes us think about a larger question – Can robots replace human politicians?
Politics isn’t binary. No algorithm can predict what will happen next. Politics requires politicians to think ahead, outplay their opponents and connect with the people. One of the most important qualities of a politician is to be able to feel the requirements of the people. A robot can be made to understand a problem or a fear of the people, but it just can’t feel it. If the people don’t connect, they don’t elect. Politics is a dirty game, it requires intense campaigning, brilliant marketing and a vision for the country. While the first two are possible to some extent by AI, a vision for the country can be only developed if a politician knows the problems of the country. That brings us to the same problem as before, robots can’t feel.
A robot or an artificial intelligence software will have some advantage over human politicians. They can be contacted and be talked to 24/7 with several modes of online communications. They can never get tired and will not be biased if programmed that way. But that brings us to huge disadvantage, it will be a computer software after all. No matter how well protected it is, someone somewhere can easily control/hack it and that could put national security at risk.
It is not only about politics though, politicians are elected as people’s representatives and they have a job to govern them. During governance, several decisions have to be taken not on logical reasoning but personal experience as well as an emotional connect. The robots of today and till the time they can’t have emotions, are not fit to be independent individuals in politics. They can be puppets of an ideology or a way for humans to increase their support, but till a long time politicians will have their jobs.
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