Ask HN: Living alone to become illegal as intelligent robots could be required?

2 points by amichail 3 days ago | 6 comments

Living alone is not good for your mental health.

And so one could imagine that in the near future, you will be required to live with an intelligent robot.

What do you think of this possibility?

ben_w 3 days ago |

Before it is possible to have an intelligent robot, it will be possible to have an intelligent chat companion on the other side of all our screens.

I can see mandatory AI-driven all-emergencies sensors in rental accommodation, just as smoke alarms became mandatory in rental accommodation over my life. Would've saved my grandmother some embarrassment in old age when she fell and couldn't get up, had to stay on the floor until the carer arrived the following morning.

But a robot companion? That's as likely as governments tackling prostate cancer by mandating all men use prostate massage equipment.

totetsu 3 days ago |

Most countries laws about health are based on freedoms and entitlements not obligations. So most people are free to choose to do things that are bad for their health.

mikewarot 2 days ago |

I think it's a horrible idea. It's also impractical.

What company is going to willingly face the inevitable wrongful death and injury lawsuits that result?

rolph 3 days ago |

although the androids would learn at accelerated pace, there would be a functionally driven requirement to train androids for social conduct. They would be pervasive, but not mandatory, perhaps more immediately useful than a speaker on a shelf, or a button hanging around your neck, but marketed in a similar manner.

marssaxman 2 days ago |

Who would do the requiring, how would they enforce it, and what would motivate them to bear the expense?

witos2 3 days ago |

I think they’ll have to kill me before I kill myself if they wanted to enforce that.