A New Robot and the Value of Life

I think it's important that we remind ourselves that we were created in the image of God, we were carefully constructed in the way He intended.  That's the point of this passage from Psalm 139:
13For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb.14I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.15My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.16Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.

Aren't you grateful that you were not just placed on this earth like a robot - without the ability to think for ourselves, to make quality choices, to experience emotions, to be able to imagine, to create, and to connect with our Savior?   We can choose to be under the influence of the Holy Spirit - and that's the absolute best place to be - but, we can also choose to be disobedient.  God has created us with free will, it's all part of being human.  And, He has made it possible to begin to experience Him to a greater degree each day, to grow in Him, and to possess a range of emotions that enhance our lives.   We can choose to live in His love, to know His peace, and to worship Him, to worship the Creator, who takes great care of us!   There's only one you, created and ordained by God...we can rejoice in who we are and who He is in us!

You were created in the image of God and you are of great value to Him.  Jesus talked about the worth of a soul and the care of our loving Heavenly Father in Matthew chapter 10:

28And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.29Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will.30But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.31Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

This week, Southern Evangelical Seminary in Charlotte will be unveiling its new NAO humanoid robot that will be used for faculty and student research into the ethical dilemmas that can arise with the use of advanced technology in everyday life. This will continue the conversation about the intersection of faith and science.

According to a press release on the seminary's website, The NAO (pronounced “now”) humanoid robot is an autonomous, programmable robot developed by Aldebaran Robotics, a French company headquartered in Paris. The robot is 23 inches tall and features a body with 25 degrees of freedom whose key elements are electric motors and actuators. NAO also includes a sensor network with two cameras, four microphones, a sonar rangefinder, two infrared emitters and receivers, one inertial board, nine tactile sensors and eight pressure sensors.

SES’ new NAO robot also features various communication devices, including a voice synthesizer, LED lights and two high-fidelity speakers. NAO robots have never been used at a seminary but have been used in research at other prestigious universities and research labs around the world, including MIT, Tokyo University, USC and Carnegie Mellon. These other top-notch organizations have used the robot for research in topics such as computer science, human-machine interaction and the social sciences. NAO, which has also been used in the education of autistic students, boasts face and object recognition, automatic speech recognition, text-to-speech in seven languages and whole body motion.

The acquisition of the NAO robot will allow students and faculty to conduct research into the ethics of emerging technologies, including robotics, bionics, human enhancement, artificial intelligence, transhumanism and nanotechnology, as well as learn from the many ethical questions that arise as part of these studies, such as, “Should robots do our jobs?” “Should they care for humans in a hospital or nursing home setting?” and “Will care like this take away the human touch and ultimately become a violation of ethics on a human level?”

At SES, Dr. Kevin Staley is the Associate Professor of Theology and will spearhead the NAO robot research. He is an expert in the application of a biblical worldview to moral issues involving advanced technologies.  The unveiling will take place, weather permitting, I guess, on Friday.

In my work, I am surrounded by incredible technology, and am amazed to see how technical advances have improved how radio is done.  The way that we transmit radio signals and the methods by which you receive them involves highly complex components, and now radio can be transmitted to computers through live streaming or on-demand availability and you can even listen to the radio on a smartphone.   In the case of Christian radio, God uses this technology to spread His message.   And, we see that faith and technology are not incompatible when it comes to spiritual growth.

But, technology has its limits.  And, the folks at SES are actually involved in exploring those limitations and the ethical challenges.  They will be exploring the implications of the absence of a human element.  The power of human interaction cannot be underestimated.  And, that's a concern now with social media where you have so many people who are relying on communication tools to build and maintain relationships. The range of human emotions is severely limited when you are relying on technology.  The capability of a robot to think for itself or to make reasoned decisions is quite limited.   There are many concerns when you consider replacing actual humans with the inventions of humans.  

A robot is merely constructed, a human being is made in the image of God.   We have wonderful capabilities - for instance, we have a soul, a mind with incredible potential to create and to make decisions, the ability to connect on deep emotional levels, and the capability to have a relationship with our creator through Jesus Christ.   We are not merely "wound up" by God and placed on this earth to have a mundane existence - we can make choices that will enhance our lives, or that would diminish our quality of life.   We can choose to accept Christ or reject Him - but it's our choice.   And, daily, we can choose to experience God's best in obedience or disobey His principles.  

One further thought:  the NAO robot was designed and carefully crafted by a design team.   It just didn't happen from a pile of parts and gadgets.  Far more, when you consider the intricacies of the human spirit, our souls, including our mental and emotional makeup, our brains, our nervous systems, our circulatory systems, the human hearts - and the makeup of our matter - our DNA molecules, the cells that comprise us, and so on.   Need I say more?  We are fearfully and wonderfully made, and God desires for us to experience His fullness. Our makeup, the way we are formed, points to our Creator, who has designed us and made us in His image. You are of inestimable value!