In this episode, our subject is the rise of the robots – not the military kind of robots, or the automated manufacturing kind that increasingly fill factories, but social robots. These are robots that could take roles such as nannies, friends, therapists, caregivers, and lovers. They are the subject of the important new book Robots and the People Who Love Them, written by our guest today, Eve Herold.
Eve is an award-winning science writer and consultant in the scientific and medical nonprofit space. She has written extensively about issues at the crossroads of science and society, including stem cell research and regenerative medicine, aging and longevity, medical implants, transhumanism, robotics and AI, and bioethical issues in leading-edge medicine – all of which are issues that Calum and David like to feature on this show.
Eve currently serves as Director of Policy Research and Education for the Healthspan Action Coalition. Her previous books include Stem Cell Wars and Beyond Human. She is the recipient of the 2019 Arlene Eisenberg Award from the American Society of Journalists and Authors.
Selected follow-ups:
Eve Herold: What lies ahead for the human race
Eve Herold on Macmillan Publishers
The book Robots and the People Who Love Them
Healthspan Action Coalition
Hanson Robotics
Sophia, Desi, and Grace
The AIBO robotic puppy
Some of the films discussed:
A.I. (2001)
Ex Machina (2014)
I, Robot (2004)
I'm Your Man (2021)
Robot & Frank (2012)
WALL.E (2008)
Metropolis (1927)
Music: Spike Protein, by Koi Discovery, available under CC0 1.0 Public Domain Declaration