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\title{Household robots}

	This is somewhat of a wishful thinking essay.  The artificial
intelligence problems involved in making a general purpose robot servant
include unsolved conceptual problems requiring basic research.  It is not
possible to say when they will be solved.  The mechanical engineering
problems aren't solved either, but it seems to me that they are within
``development range'', i.e. solutions could be bought with money once
AI advances made it worthwhile.  Robots of limited utility, e.g. carriers
of mail within buildings, are feasible, but the essay will mainly concern
general purpose servant robots.

	Let us suppose that general purpose household robots become
available 25 years from now.  Our purpose is to discuss how they
would be used and how they would affect society.  I am assuming they
would be cheap, because if they are truly general purpose, then they
can also be used to make more of them.  Therefore, we can assume they
would be universally available.

	We imagine that household robots will have the capabilities of
people but won't be people.  We will discuss later the psychological
characteristics that will prevent them from being appropriate objects
of either sympathy or blame.

	Here are some of the effects.

	1. Keeping house becomes trivial.  The house or apartment will
be clean and neat and things will be kept put away.  We suppose that
shopping also becomes trivial, either by sending the robot to the store
or, more likely, by an automatic delivery system.  The latter is an
easier technology and will probably be available sooner.

	2. How much robots will affect life depends critically on the
extent to which they can be used to take care of babies and children.
To be acceptable in homes with children, they must at least be smart
enough not to step on them or otherwise injure them even if their
duties don't include child care itself.  The next step is baby sitting
of sleeping babies.  The robot must be able to detect emergencies,
remove a child from fire or other danger, and call for medical help.
This should be a small step from a robot that can physically handle
a baby or child without danger.  Since the robot can remain alert
to an extent than humans cannot, the level of physical safety will
promptly become higher than is presently achieved even with parents
present.

	Beyond that is the level requiring linguistic interaction
with the child or children.  First of all, it's clear that the robot
must be able to speak and understand well, otherwise the lingustic
development of the child may suffer if it spends long times in
robot company.  Second, more subtle psychological factors must be
understood and taken into account.

	3. The social effects of household robots will be profound,
but the situation isn't entirely unprecedented.  Namely, we must
compare it with that of Victorian upper and middle classes that
had servants.  However, robots will be more universally available,
and there are many other differences between modern society and
Victorian upper class society.

	However, I believe that there will be one important similarity.
Robots will lead to elaboration of furnishings, dress and probably
manners as well.  A robot can work 24 hours a day.  At first people
will use them only to take over activities that the owners have
previously done themselves.  Next higher standard of cleanliness
will become the norm.  No dust will be allowed to accumulate
anywhere.  Minor dents will be fixed immediately.  Windows will
be cleaned daily.

	My guess is that decoration will also tend to elaborate.
Baroque objects will be cleanable, repairable and puttable away.
It will be common to rearrange the furniture for each common
use of a room.