War with the Robots

Overswing is a human tendency. When a new driver sees the car veering from a straight line he twists the wheel back to correct the turn — but twists too far. The car turns in the opposite direction and the process is repeated, The automobile wiggles down the road like a snake, constantly correcting but never correct.

Overswing is also characteristic of human institutions. Periods of morale licentiousness are followed by those of puritan harshness.

Overswing is a trait of machines too, and Is hidden behind such terms as undamped oscillation and negative feedback.

Robots are humanoid machines and there Is a very good chance that they will be struck by this same malfunction. Individually, it is easily correctable. A single robot with difficulties will be noticed and repaired. But what can be done if the malfunction is inherent in the mechanism — and all the machines have the same malfunction? Can It even be noticed, much less corrected?

Robots are already well-entrenched in the operations of society and the administering of our laws. Robot clerks tick off the fines paid and send out summonses to defaulters. Robot accountants check income tax returns and respond with a rapidly flashing light to small errors and exaggerations. Robot eyes and sensitive detectors guard the security of our prisons. Robot voting machines accept our secret ballot and tally the results.

Is it not within the realm of possibility that robots will be handed more and more functions of government and administration, until there are no more to be given them— because they will have them all…?