Robots Show Us Who We Are

[View this email in your browser]( [Nautilus logo]( Thursday, March 24, 2022 Dear Nautilus Reader, Alan Winfield is programming robots to dance, imitate one another’s actions, make moral choices, and evolve their own culture. Robots, he explains, may one day form their own consciousness. “I don’t think there’s anything magical about consciousness,” the roboticist tells Nautilus. “I certainly don’t agree with those who think there is some unique stuff required for consciousness to emerge. I’m a materialist. We humans are made of physical stuff and we apparently are conscious, and so are many animals. That’s why I think we should be able to make artificially conscious machines.” It’s both amazing and unnerving to see the evolution of robots through Winfield’s eyes. Putin’s senseless war has driven us into depression, made us feel futile about humans’ own ability to evolve. The despot is killing innocent people and, as we report this week, shattering international bonds among climate researchers, whose work is critical to protecting the planet. But not all is darkness. We show that humans have evolved to be stewards of the ocean, at least when it comes to halting the slaughter of humpback whales, which are recovering to pre-whaling population numbers. The success story, though, has an ominous undertow. As you will read, environmental scientists are examining the whale’s anatomy and discovering signs that could be more devastating than Captain Ahab ever was. We wish we could be more positive this week. But this is where we are. Maybe the future really will belong to the robots. [SUBSCRIBE TO NAUTILUS]( [Miso]( [Robots Show Us Who We Are]( [What can we learn from machines with imagination and culture?]( [Brian Gallagher]( [In 2016, Alan Winfield gave an “IdeasLab” talk at the World Economic Forum about building ethical robots. “Could we build a moral machine?”]( PAID ADVERTISEMENT [Invest in the Robot Boosting Restaurant Margins by 300%]( [Miso Robotics]( Automation may be the answer to the largest problems that face the $73 billion quick service restaurant industry, and [Miso Robotics]( is leading the charge. Their autonomous kitchen assistants are not only boosting profit margins but they require no additional labor to operate. Miso Robotics already has traction with 10 of the top 25 QSRs including White Castle, who recently announced plans to install Flippy 2 in 100 new locations. [Do not miss this opportunity]( to get a piece of the action. Invest in Miso Robotics today! [LEARN MORE]( [The Portentous Comeback of Humpback Whales]( [Humpbacks are returning to pre-whaling populations with a warning about ocean ecosystems.]( [Veronika Meduna]( [Each July and October, Susan Bengtson Nash packs a crossbow and an air rifle and heads out to sea off the shore of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia.]( NAUTILUS PARTNER [New WaterBear Documentary]( [Blinkist]( Free streaming platform dedicated to the future of our planet [WaterBear]( has released MILKED, a powerful feature documentary from the co-director of Cowspiracy Keegan Kuhn and director Amy Taylor. MILKED follows young activist Chris Huriwai as he goes deep into dairy land where he takes on the giants of New Zealand’s most powerful industry, and reveals how the sacred cash-cow industry has been milked dry. WaterBear encourages its members to take part in a five-day dairy free challenge and sign a petition supporting the campaign to reduce the global dairy herd 25% by 2025, as part of an effort to reduce the devastating impacts of dairy worldwide. Watch MILKED and take action [here](. [WATCH HERE]( [How Putin’s War Is Sinking Climate Science]( [An American journalist leaves Russia as war breaks up the international collaboration key to climate research in the Arctic.]( [Andrea Pitzer]( [In the end, the war came three days early. It found me in Moscow, where I watched a Russian news anchor on state television call tanks crossing into Ukraine a “special operation.”]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( [Web Site]( Copyright © 2021 NautilusNext, All rights reserved. You were subscribed to the newsletter from [nautil.us](. Our mailing address is: NautilusNext 360 W 36th Street, 7S, New York, NY 10018 Don't want to hear from us anymore? [Click here to unsubscribe.](