#BOTLOVE: Relationships in the Intelligence Age (SXSW 2011)

Can humans be friends with bots?

1. #BOTLOVE
Presented by Kyle Bunch

2. Can humans be friends
with bots?

3. A Quick Glossary of Loaded Terms
•BOTS: Robots, programs, any
piece of technology that is
programmed to react/respond to
specific stimuli or triggers.
•HUMANS:
•FRIENDS: Someone you share an
emotional connection with.

4. Bots have been many things...

5. Housekeepers

6. Educators

7. Navigators

8. Designated Drivers

9. Translators

10. Warriors

11. Sanitation Workers

12. Explorers

13. Protectors

14. Robin Williams look-alikes

15. Sometimes it’s indistinguishable...

16. It looks like us...

17. It acts like us...

18. It’s a member of the family.

19. It loves us...

20. Or it tries to...

21. Or pretends to.

22. And sometimes
it hates us...

23. Really hates us...

24. Or it’s just here to kill us...

25. Or protect us from itself.

26. Reality Check

27. We don’t have robots that
look just like us...

28. But we’re getting there.

29. We do have
Housekeepers

30. Therapists

31. MOVIEFONE

32. Surgeons

33. Entertainers

34. Self-driving Cars

35. Soldiers

36. Ping-pong Champions

37. Fighter Pilots

38. Mass Marketers

39. ASIMO

40. (Not to be confused with AWESOME-O)

41. Soccer Players

42. And of course...

43. Jeopardy Winners

44. But we’re still ages away
from making an emotional
connection with bots.
Right?

45. Tell that to the kids
who loved this
Tamagotchi.

46. Or these Furbies.

47. Or the AIBO.

48. They may miss the mark sometimes...

49. ...but increasingly, the
connection is being made.

50. “Ok, you can connect with a
bot like you would a pet.
But humans are different.”

51. Which is true.

52. HTTP://MARKETPLACE.VEER.COM/STOCK-
PHOTO/YOUNG-COUPLE-LISTENING-TO-
Humans have their attention divided.

53. The average knowledge worker
switches tasks every 3 minutes.

54. Humans get angry.

55. Some are even partially automated

56. Or constructing their own reality.

57. We live in the cloud now.

58. Data is assimilated.

59. HIS RECRUITMENT TACTICS HAVE
BEEN...LET’S JUST SAY, SUCCESSFUL.
Our public personas are ubiquitous.

60. Connection looks less like this...

61. FACEBOOK
And more like this.

62. You can be whoever
you want.

63. Warrior

64. Farmer

65. Future Mayor

66. The Intended Consequences:
Enabling Human Connection
Crreating Smarter Bots

67. The Unintended Consequence(s):
Humans Constantly Distracted and/or
Pretending to Be Somebody Else

68. The Result:
Bot Best Friend Looks Pretty Good

69. Final Thought

70. Perhaps this is less about loving
bots or technology...

71. And more about becoming it.

72. Hardwiring our connection.

73. This could be our
Sputnik moment.

74. Or not.

75. Thank you.
Blog: thedailybunch.com
Twitter: @bunch
Email: [email protected]