Despite the uncertainty surrounding the coming revolution in artificial intelligence, there are those of us that prefer not to see the rise of the robots as the advance of an army of tyrannical exterminators or job-stealing drones, but rather a chance to make new friends from what most would consider to be an unlikely source.
A recent Youtube video captured an expert demonstrating this friend-making process, a toddler named Rayna, who encountered a discarded water heater while she was out for a walk. Assuming the heater to be a robot — and to be fair, the appliance does look somewhat like a robot — Rayana repeatedly greets her newfound friend with "hi, robot," and gifts the metal man with a warm hug. Although her new robot friend doesn’t reply to the greeting, our automative ambassador tells her hot-water homie that she loves it, before resuming her journey.
One might assume that the water heater didn’t respond because it’s an inanimate appliance, although perhaps it was simply unsure as to how to respond. When you think about it, how often does the average household water heater get a hug?
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