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David Diamond's The Love Machine

Decent Essays

Just like in the 2001: A Space Odyssey, a scientific fiction film, people will soon have something similar to a HAL 9000. HAL 9000 is a fictional character that was able to interact with it’s ship’s astronaut crew to help them complete their mission to Jupiter. However, rather than a HAL, there is a Laura, a software program, who will hopefully help people in their daily lives. David Diamond is a participant who spent 100 days with Laura via web to improve his exercise regimen. In his article “The Love Machine,” it is effectively written through the use of tone and organization. In David Diamond’s “The Love Machine” (published December 1, 2003), he explains his experience with an animated software agent named Laura in order to see if humans …show more content…

According to Diamond, Laura was capable of expressing emotions such as concern, worry, and affection, but “she [was] rotten at perceiving deceptive information” (par 27). He even had his own concerns, saying it’s possible that if “computers keep getting smarter and managing more of [people’s] lives, [then they might] get stupider” (par 53). When the experiment ended, Diamond was able to lose 8 pounds, but felt sad when he and Laura had to part. Bickmore even noticed many participants dropped their workout regimen and he believes it is due to the absence of Laura. It was reported that the participants who relied on “Laura for support found her more helpful than friends, family, or exercise buddies.” (par 54) Bickmore hopes to create a Laura that will eventually have the ability to improve people’s …show more content…

Young may disagree based on his article “Programmed for Love.” Diamond and Jeffrey both discuss about the bond that can possibly be formed one-day between humans and machines. Jeffrey mentions in his article that Sherry Turkle, a professor at MIT, had a “schoolgirl crush” (Young par 2) on a metallic robot named Cog. Because of this experience, Turkle says that some robotic toys possess “seductive and potentially dangerous powers” (par 4). However, Turkle does believe they have benefits. In both articles, it discusses how technology can aid people in their lives. In Diamond’s article, he talks about the possibility of computers tutoring students, and Jeffrey’s article, he explains how Turkle is researching in robot dolls helping the elderly in nursing homes by listening to their problems and stories. The difference between these two articles is that Jeffrey explains the possible bonds between people and robots in a more intimate way while Diamond talks about the how machines can help people in their daily

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