Brits Look to Replace Pets with Robots
The research study undertaken independently by FlexMR examines the behaviour, perceptions and aspirations of the British public with regards to artificial intelligence as a whole, by gender and generation. The study found that 37% of UK dog owners and 39% of UK cat owners would like to own an ‘AI’ dog or cat if it were able to emulate their living companions’ behaviour in all but basic biological necessity; eating, exercising and sanitising.
FlexMR CEO, Paul Hudson stated, “In a nation of animal lovers the percentage of pet owners who see themselves with an AI pet may appear surprising… But in a world where convenience is everything, it was perhaps inevitable.”
A marked percentage of the population also aspire to an AI physical assistant, with 70% willing to put their trust in such a robot to carry out routine tasks, i.e. cleaning, taking the rubbish, making the bed. This is strongly countered however by a lack of faith in an AI to take over more complex human roles. Tasks which require academic, social, and emotional intelligence, i.e. surgical procedures, clothes shopping and babysitting will remain in the human domain for the foreseeable future with only 14%, 9% and 4% respectively prepared to commit these to an AI.
A political outtake, 23% of Brits claim that they would trust an AI to run the country over and above Teresa May, 27% over and above Jeremy Corbyn. One respondent referenced David Bowie’s, Saviour Machine. Whilst these statistics are clearly a projection of the UK’s current political dissatisfaction rather than a call to AI action there is also an argument here as regards to the benefits of AI in its current state. Not yet able to imitate human emotion or full cognition, AI is perceived publicly as a ‘counter-human intelligence.’
“What was apparent from the AI political questioning was the UK’s desperation for some long awaited political stability. The resounding sentiment, ‘at least a machine can be programmed.’ Whilst we are not going to see an AI Prime Minister any time soon let’s hope the upcoming general election result brings with it some cohesion, nationally at least,” said Hudson.
