The Robot Will See You Now
CHANNEL 4, 10.00PM
The Rise of the Robots season continues with this documentary exploring whether robots will ever be sophisticated enough to play the role of best friend and confidant, or even therapist, to humans. Some forms of artificial intelligence, such as Amazon’s Alexa, are becoming more commonly involved in our home lives; cars are almost at the point where they drive themselves; and trials are afoot to test whether software can be used to perform medical and legal functions. A companionship robot has also been developed to keep astronauts’ spirits up during lengthy periods on the International Space Station. That’s all a long way from being able to substitute the life experience, and emotional, ethical and psychological support, for which we turn to friends, family, religion and counsellors. But maybe not for long.
This intriguing film focuses on a team from Manchester and Plymouth Universities racing to develop a humanoid robot called Jess, that uses Ai-based analysis to offer counselling on problems to do with marriage, divorce, infidelity and other day-to-day traumas – with built-in sympathy and tissue dispenser, no doubt. Gerard O’donovan