In Tribute to Our Robot Overlords

Mechanical servants. More perfect versions of ourselves. The reapers of our eventual demise? Dave and Neil welcome special guest Abigail, 11-year-old robot aficionado, to discuss the evolution of robots in literature, TV, and film and to grapple with the complexities of robot ethics. The meerkats mull the mysteries of CAPTCHA, objectionable uses of the holodeck, and the potential of garlic-peeling robots. Join us as we rank our favorite robots and honor the other androids, automatons, and AIs that have set our imaginations in motion.

A Meditation on Metal and Circuits

Mechanical servants. More perfect versions of ourselves. The reapers of our eventual demise? Dave and Neil welcome special guest Abigail, 11-year-old robot aficionado, to discuss the evolution of robots in literature, TV, and film and to grapple with the complexities of robot ethics. The meerkats mull the mysteries of CAPTCHA, inevitable uses of the holodeck, and the potential of garlic-peeling robots. Join us as we rank our favorite robots and honor the other androids, automatons, and AIs that have set our imaginations in motion.

Further Reading

RUR by Karel Capek

I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream by Harlon Ellison on Goodreads

Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies by Nick Bostrom on Goodreads. This is a sobering and informative discussion of the dangers and possibilities of AI.

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov on Goodreads

Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla on Criterion

Baby Alive Grows Up

The story that Dave mentioned about time travel and human evolution: Time Migration by Cixin Liu (part of the To Hold Up The Sky story collection)

Headlines: Human champ stunned as computer wins at go, Computer AI passes Turing Test in ‘world first’