Make no mistake. We, the feeble humans, will soon bend our knees to our new robotic overlords. But what will our new masters look like? That, paradoxically, is entirely up to us.
And you know what's even more scary? It seems like we are making lives difficult for our future selves for no apparent reason at all. We're constantly trying to make our robots faster, smarter, more agile and more... animal-like. Yes, animal-like. The average human doesn't hold a candle to the average cheetah in terms of speed, strength, and agility. Why should it be any different with Joe the humanoid and a super-fast robotic cheetah?
So here it is. Since we know the doomsday is coming, and at the same time we know that any attempts at stopping crazy scientists from improving their robotic offspring are downright futile, we might just as well sit back, relax, and have a look at what biomimicry has in store for us (and for future generations).
Divergent paths of evolution? Not any more
Specialization, specialization, specialization, as the old evolutionary saying goes. Mother nature taught us that if you want to be good at something, you need to specialize. And specializing comes at a cost. That's why lions aren't very good at writing essays, and that's why humans no longer boast penis spines.
However, this principle doesn't apply to robots. After all, why should it? A robot can swim like a jellyfish, slither like a snake, fly like a hummingbird and jump like a grasshopper. And it's just a matter of time until any robot will be able to do all those things.
'I Robot' or 'We Robot'?
Selflessness. One quality we humans are so proud of and at the same time a quality so many of us so painfully lack. No matter how hard we try, even the most unselfish representatives of our kind are bound to perceive the world as individuals. We can express our ideas, experiences, and emotions, but can we impart them on someone else instantly? Can we download somebody else's mindset to make sure we do everything in unison? No. At least not yet. Can robots do it? Sure they can.
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