Study Shows Babies Think Friendly Robots Are Sentient

seanonymous writes "A study from University of Washington claims that babies think robots are human, so long as the robots are friendly. No word on what evil robots are thought to be. From the article: 'At 18 months old, babies have begun to make conscious delineations between sentient beings and inanimate objects. But as robots get more and more advanced, those decisions may become harder to make. What causes a baby to decide a robot is more than bits of metal? As it turns out, it takes more than humanoid looks — babies rely on social interaction to make that call.'"

understandable

[pilgrim23]

Klaatu barada nikto -now doesn't that sound like clear baby talk?.

These are not the humans you are looking for

[Tr3vin]

Hopefully, this same trick will work on robot babies. We must start at a young age and show them that we are robots. It is the only way to protect our species.

No word on what evil robots are thought to be.

[Anonymous Coward]

No word on what evil robots are thought to be.
That is simple. They are known to be republicans.

Well...

[SudoGhost]

I for one, welcome our new robot babysitter overlords.

Re:These are not the humans you are looking for

[melikamp]

Who cares about robot babies? I am more concerned about robot babes.

Are you sure about that 18 months?

[Just_Say_Duhhh]

I think there is strong evidence [wikipedia.org] that humans much older than 18 months cannot make a delineation between sentient beings and inanimate objects.

If the supplied evidence is not enough, try this [wikipedia.org].

Remember the Sirius Cybernetics Corp's definition

[dkleinsc]

"Your plastic pal who's fun to be with"

Re:" No word on what evil robots are thought to be

[2names]

Oh, I don't know...I've heard lots of babies say, "poo-poo."

Re:Correction

[SpaceLifeForm]

Studies show that babies know that slashdot editors behave like robots.

Re:How does this differ between humans and animals

[CarpetShark]

Dogs are no smarter than a mouse, or turtle, or any other animal. They simply react to rote repetition.

I've heard other people say that, before you.

Re:These are not the humans you are looking for

[kalirion]

Do you want Planet Earth to be destroyed?

DON'T DATE ROBOTS!

Re:How does this differ between humans and animals

[CohibaVancouver]

Do they think the dog is sentient?

Initially, yes. Interestingly, when our toddler was developing her language skills, she practiced three sets of sounds - English language sounds that she heard her parents speaking, Spanish-language sounds that she heard from her nanny and grandmother and growly barky sounds that she heard from the dog. Eventually she realized the dog was a lower-order being and stopped trying to speak dog.

Re:understandable

[GameboyRMH]

Aww come on you gotta tell us what it means now...

That's nothing

[Anonymous Coward]

I know full-grown adults who think plants have feelings.

Finally!

[Anonymous Coward]

An explanation for the popularity of Al Gore!