All language subtitles for The.UnXplained.S07E08.1080p.WEB.h264-EDITH_track3_[eng]

WILLIAM SHATNER:
Intelligent machines

designed to improve
human life...

deadly mechanical soldiers

in our skies
and on the front lines...

...and sophisticated robots

invented centuries
before modern technology.

Since the dawn of civilization,

mankind has been fascinated

with the idea of creating
mechanical servants

to help with our workload,
provide amusement

and even to protect us.

And today, what was once fiction
is becoming fact

as scientists and engineers
successfully design and create

all types of intelligent robots
that can do just about anything.

But what will
our future look like

as A.I. and technology advance?

Are we, perhaps,
on the, on the precipice

of a robot revolution?

And if so, will our clever
creations save humanity...

...or destroy it?

Well, that is what
we'll try and find out.

♪ ♪

SHATNER:
Nearly 1,500
international exhibitors gather

for the New York World's Fair.

Throngs of people
watch in amazement

to see a futuristic innovation

from the Westinghouse
Corporation

that garners
significant attention.

It's a seven-foot-tall
humanoid robot named Elektro.

And here he comes,
ladies and gentlemen,

walking up to greet you
under his own power.

TOK THOMPSON:
In 1939,
the company Westinghouse,

which made a lot
of electrical appliances,

debuted the, um,
their robot, um, Elektro,

and then, later on,
introduced his pet dog Sparko.

The dog could go into
a begging position,

it could bark,
it could sit on command.

So, this guy looked
like a classic robot,

like you would see
in the old movies.

ELEKTRO:
Ladies and gentlemen.

THOMPSON:
He could speak, he could smoke,

he could respond to questions.

And folks,
he's only two years old, too.

Just learning.

And people loved it.

People loved the idea
that this was the future.

SHATNER
The reality is,

a human being was required
to operate Elektro and Sparko.

But their impressive debut
in 1939

presented the possibility
of a future

where programmable,
intelligent machines--

or "robots"--

would live side by side with
humans to enhance our lives.

Well, that future is now.

I'm not sure people understand

how prevalent robots are
in our world right now.

There's probably about,
you know, more than four million

operational robots in the world.

And that's just
the industrial robots.

People are aware
and not surprised

to see some sort of robot helper

in an airport

or in a kitchen

or in a convention center

or in a hotel reception.

SHATNER:
Has science and technology
surpassed the futuristic vision

of robotics from the 1930s,
'40s and '50s?

Well, the fact is,

smart machines
have firmly integrated

into every aspect of our lives
for quite some time.

Programmable tools
perform precision surgeries,

self-driving taxis
shuttle people around

and automated computers
help grow our food,

entertain us

and even clean our homes.

TRAVIS KELLERMAN:
The promise of robots
is a workforce

that would replace ours.

A workforce that would
take on the tasks

that humans, frankly,
should not be doing,

Tasks that are too dangerous.

A robot could be put
in harm's way,

it could handle
dangerous chemicals

or go into dangerous
construction places...

...where we know
there is a higher risk

of humans being hurt.

SHATNER:
The creation of a technology

that can improve
the quality of human life

is an extraordinary feat.

But what happens
when our mechanical helpers

start to look like us?

WHITE:
We're starting to see

the rise--
the significant rise--

of the humanoid robot things
that look like

what you might expect
out of sci-fi films.

These machines are
starting to be able

to evaluate for themselves
and think for themselves.

It is the world
of artificial intelligence

and robotics
that we're moving into.

And that is
a significant change,

um, and it's happening
right now.

SHATNER:
Just how close are we

to having humanoid
robotic helpers in our homes?

Recently, a company called
Clone Robotics showcased

a highly advanced robot
equipped with synthetic muscles

that mimics human movement
almost perfectly.

As robotics develop
a lifelike appearance,

how far will biological humans
go to integrate

these mechanical creations
into their everyday lives?

This 400-year-old
Zen Buddhist shrine

would appear to be disconnected
from the modern world.

But inside this serene sanctum,

followers listen intently
to the sermons

of a thoroughly futurist monk:

a 132 pound, six-foot four-inch
robotic priest

known as Mindar.

(speaking Japanese)

Mindar, this synthetic
humanoid robot,

is located in the main hall
of the temple,

and when people enter,

they can hear
25-minute-long sermons

on the meaning of emptiness,

the meaning of compassion,

which are cardinal virtues
in Buddhism.

The fact that it is
in the shape of a robot

doesn't seem to take away
from its impact.

In fact,
it might even increase it,

especially with
young worshipers.

For some people, listening
to a robot, uh, repeat a prayer,

um, is a way of engaging
with their spirituality.

So for a lot
of religious organizations,

this is just a different way
of reaching the masses.

(Mindar speaking Japanese)

TONY McMAHON:
In the Catholic Church,

there has been developed
a Roman Catholic robot saint

called SanTO.

Stands about 17 inches high.

The faithful
are able to talk to SanTO,

and it answers
their theological questions

and it also responds
to their prayers.

(SanTO speaking Italian)

McMAHON:
Now, the Roman Catholic faithful

have actually quite taken to it.

The march of the religious
robots seems unstoppable.

SHATNER:
It's remarkable that robots
have started to guide humanity

in our own search for meaning.

But as our mechanical servants
become more advanced every year,

many experts wonder,
are we creating

a race of intelligent beings
that could one day control us?

WHITE:
It's a new age of robotics

that we're gonna
have to navigate

and get used to being in.

And it's so early
trying to work out

whether those fears
are founded or not,

or whether it should be
a time of optimism.

Who knows?
I mean, t-that's the thing.

You could make arguments
both ways.

And if you ask experts,

some are very scared
by the prospect,

and some are really enthusiastic

and optimistic
about the prospect.

KELLERMAN:
Robots will become more
and more ubiquitous.

And you'll get to a point
where they're commonplace.

So here we are
at a precipice where,

within the next
couple of decades,

there's going to be
more robots than humans.

How many of those robots
will be right in front of us,

talking with us,
interacting with us,

replicating human behavior?

SHATNER:
What is the future
between man and machine?

All we can really do
is speculate.

But some believe

that clues to mankind's
future relationship with robots

may actually be found
in the ancient past.

Because our fascination
with these mechanical servants

may have started
thousands of years ago.

SHATNER:
Just outside the city,

there is a remarkable
statue garden

on the banks
of the Mekong River.

It contains over 200 ornate
and often bizarre statues

meant to represent
characters spoken of

in Hindu and Buddhist lore.

It's a place known
as Xieng Khuan, or Buddha Park.

THOMPSON:
Xieng Khuan was crafted

in the 1950s by a visionary.

He was a priest, a shaman.

He was deeply immersed
in Buddhist

as well as Hindu theology.

So, he filled this park
with all of these sculptures

of fantastical creatures,

mythological entities,
some of which have

a technological
sort of aesthetic.

So their faces look robotic.

They have, like,
these big robotic eyes

and sort of a robotic head.

STEAVU:
In Buddhist lore,
there are a number of stories

about robot guardians.

One of the most famous stories
talks about a king

who wanted to protect
a prized treasure that he had

and this treasure was
the relics of the Buddha.

And so, he built a robot army

that had spinning blades
and would cut down

any intruder
or any would-be thief.

I mean, Buddhism is
a 2,500-year-old religion,

but it had descriptions of what
can only be defined as robots.

So what are we
to make of this story?

SHATNER:
The strange statues
at Buddha Park

raise a fascinating question.

Are the mechanical guardians

found in ancient Hindu
and Buddhist texts

descriptions of what
we would call robots?

While it may sound far-fetched,

robots have appeared
in myths and legends

all throughout
the ancient world.

STEAVU:
There's a very fascinating
story recorded

in the ancient Chinese work
the Liezi,

and it tells the tale of a king
from the tenth century BC

who has what was called
an artificer,

which is a mechanical
engineer, essentially,

who, uh, ended up creating

what was for the time
a perfect lifelike robot.

This artificer
by the name of Yen Shih

came and presented it
to the court,

and it completely fooled
everyone.

The robot could sing on cue,

it could dance and keep time.

And then, towards the end
of its performance,

the robot started winking
at the king's concubines.

And the king, obviously,
was rather displeased by this,

and he was about to execute
this artificer.

So, in a bid to save his life,
Yen Shih opened up his automaton

to show the king
that it was not a real person,

it's just a robot.

SHATNER:
Stories of robot-like creations

can also be found
in ancient Greece,

where giant
programmable machines

were called "automatons."

STEAVU:
Automaton comes from
the Greek term automatos,

which is made up of auto,
uh, which means "self"

and, uh, matos, which means
"thinking" or "willing."

So, together the term
translates as, uh,

"self-thinking"
or "self-willing."

And it refers to any device
that plays out

a mechanical sequence
that has been programmed for it.

They seem to be
describing a robot.

ELLY TRUITT:
Automata were written about

in ancient Greek epic poetry
like the Iliad,

like the Odyssey
and other historical works.

Things like
gigantic moving statues

that might also be fountains

that would dispense
wine or milk, for example.

And there were these
wheeled cauldrons,

which were like cup bearers,
wine servants.

They would scurry around

and serve the gods
on Mount Olympus.

So it's really interesting
to think about

whether or not these objects
that are written about,

if there actually were,
um, made

or if they're sort of a version
of fantasy or science fiction.

SHATNER:
Are automatons simply creations
of the imagination,

or could there be a possibility
that they once walked the Earth?

Some believe a clue
can be found by examining

an ancient Greek work
called the Argonautica

from the third century BC.

It describes
a giant mechanical man

known as Talos.

McMAHON:
One of the most terrifying
creations of the Greek gods

was this massive bronze
automaton called Talos.

It operates completely
as a robot

as we'd understand it.

And Talos was programmed

to walk around the island
of Crete three times a day,

protecting it
from pirates and invaders.

Talos would throw
massive boulders

at the ships and sink them.

Or Talos could even
heat himself up

and burn his enemies to death.

STEAVU:
Talos was given life

and his power came from
this ichor, as it's called,

this blood of gods,

and it coursed through his body
through a series of channels,

and there was
one spot in the body

that you could take out
this ichor substance

and that was basically secured
by a bolt in its ankle.

So, the parallels between Talos
and what we could see

as more modern robots
are very striking.

Especially if you replace
this notion of the ichor

with engine oil, something
of that nature, a lubricant,

then you have,
pretty much, a description

of what a metallic robot
would look like.

So we have to wonder
if the Greeks were

actually basing these stories
on actual robots that existed,

because it seems they had some
knowledge of the technology,

they could speak about it
in this way.

SHATNER:
While these Greek tales

seem to illustrate
an understanding of robotics,

no physical evidence of
automatons has ever been found.

But a remarkable
20th-century discovery

may provide some clues

as to what these
mythological engineering marvels

might have actually looked like.

Two local farmers make
an astounding archeological find

when they uncover statues
created by the mysterious,

long-extinct
Nuragic civilization.

On the island of Sardinia
in the Mediterranean,

there is a site
called Mont'e Prama

that has the remnants
of a very old, uh, civilization

dated between about 3,000
and, uh, 4,000 years ago.

And amongst these remnants
we have found

these giant figures
that look like robots.

What's so striking about
these statues is the heads.

They've got these
concentric circles for eyes,

they've got these little mouths,

and then the shape
of the heads are like

your classic 1950s sci-fi robot.

It really is a bit
of a brainteaser

to try and figure out
why did ancient civilizations

sculpt what look to us
like robots?

What was going on in their heads

to create these
robot-like images?

I mean, we may never know.

Is it possible that many
ancient myths and legends

of "mechanical men"

were based on the real-life
existence of robots?

While we can't say for sure,
we do know

that some of the most
sophisticated advances

in modern robotics

were actually first developed
centuries ago.

SHATNER:
Nearly 15 years into a mission

to search the Red Planet
for water,

Opportunity,
NASA's robotic rover

equipped with enhanced
artificial intelligence,

is about to conclude its journey

when a planetwide dust storm
makes it impossible

for the robot to recharge
its solar-powered batteries.

With its power nearly gone,
Opportunity transmits

a stunning image
of its location back to Earth,

along with an unexpectedly
disturbing message

before it shuts off.

McMAHON:
The robot rover Opportunity

became known as "Oppy"
as it became more popular.

And there was
a very heartrending moment

when it sent
one last poignant message,

some people thought reads as,
"My battery is running low

and it's getting dark."

And then that was
the end of Oppy.

And this triggered a wave
of grief around the world

from people who were
distraught to hear

the last words
of Oppy the rover robot

on the surface of Mars.

KELLERMAN:
It was much more than
just a simple robot

moving through
any given environment.

It was on a planet
all by itself.

It was entirely alone.

And because it carried
all of us with it,

the Mars rover Opportunity
allowed us

to project our emotions
and our hopes into it.

It became an extension of us.

It all felt like part of us
was lost when it turned off.

SHATNER:
The Opportunity rover was
only supposed to be operational

for 90 days
on the surface of Mars,

but, remarkably, it was
functional for almost 15 years.

Oppy's incredible success
on the Red Planet

allowed scientists to study
a place where no human could go

and firmly secured
the role of robots

in the future
of space exploration.

Robots come into their own

when you're talking
about hazardous environments,

and there pretty much isn't
a more hazardous environment

than space.

It is instant death
for any human

if anything goes wrong,

however slight.

And so if you can operate
in that environment

in a robotic way,

then the benefits
are clear and obvious.

ROD PYLE:
In the 50 years
since the lunar landings,

other than
the International Space Station

in Earth orbit
with the space shuttle,

the only other things we've done
have all been with robots,

with these uncrewed spacecraft.

Now, robots have
a lot of advantages.

They're pretty smart.
And they're getting smarter

all the time.

You don't have to worry
about hurting them.

If something goes wrong,
you build another robot.

It's not a big deal.

So it's a huge advantage.

SHATNER:
Since robots can be built

to withstand the deadly
environments of alien worlds,

it's fascinating to wonder

what the automated astronauts
of the future will look like.

Well, it appears
they'll look a lot like us.

Mark Rosheim is a true pioneer
in the world of robotics.

He holds over 30 patents
in robot technology.

And some
of his most cutting-edge work

was on a remarkable machine
known as Robonaut.

In 2011, Robonaut was deployed

on the International
Space Station

and became the first
humanoid robot in outer space.

ROSHEIM:
The goal

for our humanoid work for NASA

was to give the astronauts
a capability

to send this thing out
into a hazardous environment

and manipulate objects
as if it was

an astronaut
without a space suit.

So you would have
full dexterity of your hands

and full movement of the arms
and so forth

to give greater flexibility
to the shoulders,

the spine, the wrists,

and fingers and thumbs.

That was our goal.

And those were
the early generations,

and now we're on
to the fourth generation.

And they're doing
some very amazing things.

SHATNER:
Might a crew of humanoid robots

one day explore distant worlds
that are beyond our reach?

It will be
a thrilling achievement,

especially when you consider
that many of the key innovations

utilized in Robonaut

were actually first invented
over 500 years ago in 1495

by one of the most influential
geniuses in human history,

Leonardo da Vinci.

TRUITT:
Leonardo da Vinci

is really one of the first--

at least in what we now call
Western culture--

to be credited
with making robots

that might move like humans.

One of the things
that Leonardo designed

was a mechanical knight
that looked a lot like a person.

It could move its head,
it could open its mouth,

and it could move
for several yards

before it
essentially wound down.

Leonardo was very famous
for his ability

to use cables and pulleys.

And he obviously applied that
to this robot.

-(clanking)
-It could move its arms.

It could stand up, sit down.

I became interested in Leonardo

in how could I use his studies
to make dexterous robots.

In this drawing
of Leonardo's robot knight,

these are his napkin sketches,

which is what we have now,

his preliminary sketches.

The final drawings have been
missing for hundreds of years.

We see the articulated
shoulder joint.

We see the cable system
to drive the arm.

And that's what you need to do
to reproduce human motion,

is first know
what human motion is.

And Leonardo,
through his use of anatomy,

derived his design
for the robot knight.

So, building on that foundation,

I took Leonardo's
famous Vitruvian Man

and I put in robot joints.

SHATNER:
It's fascinating to think

that 15th-century designs
helped create

an effective humanoid robot

that just might be
the future of space exploration.

And it naturally makes you
wonder

what other incredible designs
might we rediscover

that have been lost

and how they might continue
to shape the future of robots.

It fascinates me
that someone 500 years ago

could be thinking
along these same lines,

working on the same problem,

being concerned
about articulation,

power sources, and so forth.

And so I hope
that someday we recover

more of Leonardo's material.

There is evidence of
higher levels of sophistication

of all of his designs.

And hopefully, now that the
world is aware of these things,

in some archive somewhere,

we will learn more
about his influence

on humanoid robot designs.

The fact that modern robots
are being built

based on mechanical designs
that are centuries old

is simply astonishing.

But as advancements
in technology

continue to push the envelope,

many experts are worried
that we may be creating

the means
to our own destruction.

Should mankind fear the rise...

...of a robot army?

SHATNER: The Russian Foundation
for Advanced Research Projects,

an agency dedicated
to the development

of new military technology,

presumably released footage

of a truly threatening robot
named FEDOR.

McMAHON:
The Russians

had developed a robot
called FEDOR

that everybody knew about.
It was to be used

in emergency recovery situations

and on space stations.

But then, in 2017,

the Russians showed
that they'd adapted FEDOR

to basically use
automatic weapons.

You had FEDOR with guns
on a shooting range

firing at targets.

And, of course, this alarmed
people all over the world

because if FEDOR takes
to the battlefield,

well, who knows
what could happen?

SHATNER:
Are we on the brink
of creating an army of robots?

While weaponized
mechanical foot soldiers

may be a futuristic addition
to combat operations...

...what other
deadly thinking machines

might be included
in a military arsenal?

KELLERMAN:
When you think

of robot armies,
we often envision

physical humanoid robots
that are attacking people.

But what does
a robot army look like?

It's not going to necessarily be

a field of conventional
robot soldiers.

The augmentation of a robot dog
makes it into a weapon.

GENTILE:
Right now we're
at the point where drones

can assess the battlefield,
find a target,

and execute on that target
without human intervention.

The technology
is progressing so fast

that there's no question

that, in a very short period
of time,

the future of warfare

is going to be automated
and robotic.

Everything will be fought
by drones

and some type of machines.

And the A.I.
will get better and better.

WHITE:
One of the main benefits

of robots in warfare is

the elimination of humans
from the battlefield.

You don't have to pay robots.

They don't sleep.
They don't eat.

You don't have to deal with
troops dying on the battlefield.

Do you really want
to put humans in harm's way

when you can put machines
in that scenario

and evade the loss of life?

SHATNER:
While there are clear advantages
to utilizing robots in warfare,

many wonder
if these intelligent machines

will soon render human beings
obsolete on the battlefield.

But what would happen

if we completely take
the human element out of combat?

Could robots be programmed
to decide who lives

and who dies?

WHITE:
We are creating

machinery and software

that potentially has the idea
to think for itself

and develop
its own sort of ideas.

How do you teach robots
to actually operate

in a moral way
in the theater of war?

How do you code that?

How do you put it
into the machine?

GENTILE:
One suggestion is
to build in a conscience,

to build in morality
to the programming.

But if you do that,

maybe the weapon
doesn't want to be a weapon.

And then maybe
the weapon realizes...

...that humans are the problem.

If A.I. is designed
to solve problems

and it solves them on its own,

eventually it's gonna come
to the conclusion

that the biggest problem
it has is us.

SHATNER:
Could weaponized robots

that are designed
to follow human orders

outsmart us one day?

What would happen
if our massive automated arsenal

learned to communicate
with one another?

It's a nightmarish scenario
that some experts call

the hive mind.

GENTILE:
The hive mind is essentially
an army of A.I. robots

all coordinated, working
together as a single organism.

And this is
a very effective tactic.

You can have one part
of your hive mind

observing the battlefield.

While another part
is selecting targets,

another part is defending
the perimeter.

But the hive mind
also could discover

its own consciousness...

...and then does not have
to follow orders at all.

And when the hive mind
reaches the point

that it wants to eliminate
the human race,

we're not gonna know
it's happening.

Should we be worried about
intelligent, weaponized robots

that could one day turn
on their creators?

While that's a worthy concern,

there are some who believe
that a future robot revolution

will mean something
entirely different.

Because there's a growing trend
where people are choosing

to become part human

and part robot.

SHATNER:
Among the city's seven million
people, there is one man

that, quite literally, sees
the world unlike anyone else.

Steve Mann,
a celebrated inventor

and a tenured professor
at the University of Toronto,

is called "the father
of wearable computing."

For decades he's had one
of his own remarkable machines

permanently affixed to his head.

It's called the EyeTap.

MANN:
So, this EyeTap's

a wearable computer.

And I had it more or less
permanently attached.

I've been called so many times

the world's first cyborg
by the media.

"Cyborg" is short
for "cybernetic organism."

And so the idea of this is
technology that connects us

to the natural world around us

and enhances and strengthens
and extends our reality,

rather than disconnects us
from it.

In other words,

to blur the distinction
between human and machine.

SHATNER:
How close are we to becoming
more machine than man?

While the future is unclear,

many believe that upgrading
the human body with robotics

provides tantalizing advantages.

In the case of the EyeTap,

it grants Steve abilities
beyond what a human being

is capable of.

The EyeTap is a device
that extends our reality.

What I see is superimposed
over my vision.

I can see a little dashboard

of what's happening
inside my body--

my heart ECG,
electrocardiogram--

superimposed
over what's happening around me.

It allows me
to see into the infrared,

to be able to see ultraviolet,

to be able to see radio waves,
to see sound waves.

I can see in complete darkness.

I can focus down to one
centimeter away really clearly,

look far away
and see things clearly.

So, like
an eyeglass prescription

that adapts itself
interactively.

I can move my head
as a way of controlling it.

I can talk to it. I can say,

"Where's
the nearest grocery store?"

You know, when I was growing up,
I used to build robots.

And I thought, "Okay, robots
are gonna take over the world

and everything, and these
machines are gonna be smart."

But then I started thinking,
"Well, you know what,

"what we really want is
to sort of become the machine,

not be replaced by the machine."

The best way to understand
something is to become it.

And so, in the future,

we are going to become
the technology.

SHATNER:
Will Steve Mann's vision
of the future

be available to us sooner
than we think?

Perhaps.

Wearable computers
like smart glasses

have already hit the mainstream.

There are bionic limbs powered
by artificial intelligence

and even robotic exoskeletons

that can grant
superhuman strength and speed.

Are we witnessing the next stage
of human evolution?

KELLERMAN:
Augmentation of the human body
is very possible.

The idea that...

that augmentation alone
would create

this superhuman capacity,

it's really about the conversion
of the human mind.

It used to be that no one
would have a smartphone.

But now these things are seen
in such commonplace that,

to not have one,
you're actually in the minority.

Technology and robots
will be another prompt

for humans to define themselves.

SHATNER:
Just how far
will human beings go

to augment and enhance
themselves with robotics?

Well, many believe
that smart machines

will not only be connected
to the outside of our anatomy

but inside as well,

in one of the most delicate
and vital parts of the body--

inside the brain.

It's a technology
called Neuralink.

NICOLE KOBIE:
Neuralink is
a little coin-sized implant,

and it gets embedded
into the person's brain.

And from that, there's a bunch
of little threads that come out.

And on each thread,
there's a bunch of electrodes.

And those embed into the brain
and they pick up signals.

And the idea is that this would
give somebody who was paralyzed

the ability to communicate,

so they can move
a-a cursor around,

uh, you know, a computer--
that sort of thing.

SHATNER:
In 2024,

a Neuralink device
was successfully implanted

into Noland Arbaugh,

who is paralyzed
from the neck down.

Now he has the ability
to control a computer

with his mind.

So if technology can allow us
to control a device

with a mere thought,

it's incredible
to imagine what's next.

WHITE:
This idea of bridging that gap

between technology
and the human brain

would also lead to possibly
speechless communication,

brain-to-brain communication.

Communicating with other people
with such devices

without any sound--

just thinking to them.

What you would look at
and think would be telepathy.

KOBIE:
There is this idea that
these implants might be able

to connect us to some sort
of programmable intelligence.

So you could just upload
a skill,

like the ability to just have,
you know, kung fu

or French uploaded to their
brains or something like that.

A lot of people completely
believe that we are humans 1.0

and that we're gonna start
adding body parts.

TRUITT:
One of the things that's
interesting in thinking about it

is: what are the limits
of the human?

And are there
particular capabilities

that humans should not have?

It's what new kinds
of people might we have.

Are we augmenting our abilities

to the extent that we become
something that is

no longer defined as human?

SHATNER:
This sleek,
modern building is one

of the world's leading centers
for robotics.

And inside,
interacting with guests,

is one of the most advanced
humanlike robots on Earth.

It's a gray-skinned,

six-foot, one-inch,
108-pound machine

known as Ameca.

WHITE:
The Ameca robot is mimicking

humans as closely as possible.

Ameca is capable
of reproducing more, sort of,

human physiological movements
and tics

and recognizing
facial expressions

more than any other robot
so far.

But, funnily enough, there is
no need in many situations

to have a robot
in humanoid form.

In many situations, in fact
the vast majority of situations,

it would not be
the most efficient form

to do particular tasks,

repetitive tasks and so on.

And yet we are obsessed
with creating humanoid robots

and robots that can look like us
and beat us, in a way.

SHATNER:
Today, companies around the
world are focused on designing

and producing
lifelike humanoid robots.

So what's really behind this
obsession to make smart machines

in our own image?

As humans,
we are very preoccupied

with the question
of what makes us alive.

And I think
that building objects

or fantasizing about objects

that can do the things
that people do,

that can look the way
that people look

is a way of thinking
through those boundaries

between what is alive
and what is not alive.

KELLERMAN:
As we get to the point where
you can no longer distinguish

between a robot
and a human being,

should they be allowed
to be out on their own

and express
their own needs and wants,

determine their own future,

take what jobs
they feel they deserve?

Or are they forever
under the ownership of humans?

It's a new state
of recognizing entities

that does not label them
as human or nonhuman.

THOMPSON:
A lot of robot ethicists
are actually pushing

for robotic citizenship
and android rights.

So this opens up questions.

Are these things
gonna have rights?

Are they gonna have more rights
than some people?

And so the technology
is coming out much faster

than the laws
and than the ethics

and the philosophies can really
keep up with at the moment.

SHATNER:
Could there come a day
when robots

live among us
as part of human society?

And might these smart machines
of our making

continue to evolve to the point

that they become
not just our equals

but our superiors?

WHITE:
So, right now, robots are
unaware that they're robots.

What happens
when they become aware?

There will be a point
where the machines

will have a degree of sentience.

They will know what they are

and why they're here

and what their reason
for being is, actually.

And we need to prepare ourselves
as a society for that point.

It's remarkable to think
that, one day soon,

it may be hard to tell
the difference between a human

and a robot.
(chuckles softly)

While it's clear
that these intelligent machines

can make many tasks easier...

...how much trust should we put
in our cutting-edge creations?

Will we be able to control
the robots we construct?

Or will they decide one day

that humans
are no longer necessary?

(sucks teeth)

It's a chilling scenario that,

fortunately, now

remains unexplained.

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