2023.Dec.11

REPORTS

Report on Lecture by Jennifer Robertson ““SECURITAINMENT”: Triangulations of Embodied AI, Entertainment, and Surveillance”

On November 27, 2023, Tokyo College and the B’AI Global Forum co-organized a lecture by Jennifer Robertson entitled ““SECURITAINMENT”: Triangulations of Embodied AI, Entertainment, and Surveillance.” In this lecture, Prof. Robertson discusses how entertainment robots, a form of embodied AI, become surveillance devices by providing data to corporations, using Sony’s Aibo as a primary example.

The talk began with a discussion of the historical and social context of surveillance in Japan. Japan’s once well-developed local organizations have been shrinking since the beginning of this century, and interest in community-based crime prevention has also been declining. This means that the traditional bonds of society are being lost. This is compounded by the postwar Japanese government’s tendency to solve social problems through science and technology. In a society where robots and AI are ubiquitous, there is a vision that people’s relationships within the home will be mediated by robots, placing more emphasis on the individual than on community or family ties. And individuals are already developing intimate relationships with electronic media and social networking sites, while at the same time becoming increasingly wary of technological crime.

In this context, large numbers of surveillance cameras have been installed by stores, businesses, and individuals in the expectation that they will reduce crime rates, although no actual correlation has been found. In addition, surveillance cameras are sold in electronics stores in the same section as toys, with the phrases “safe, secure and convenient. Robots designed to watch over children and pets while they are away from home are also widely available.

Prof. Robertson focuses on Aibo, Sony’s robot dog, which she sees as a robot for security and entertainment: Securitainment. While early Aibo were robust and machine-like, the latest Aibo is more expressive and looks like a small terrier dog. This suggests that the latest Aibo is designed to accompany the family and entertain people. In addition, a special app is used to give the dog a binary gender and allow it to form a specific identity.

According to Prof. Robertson, it should not be overlooked that while Aibo has these entertaining qualities, it also monitors individuals. Aibo routinely takes pictures and the data is stored in SONY’s AI cloud. The value of that data is controlled by SONY and its affiliates. Given that data is a form of capital, Robertson suggests that the network surrounding Aibo represents surveillance capitalism. The ethical use of such embodied AI requires us, the consumers, to confront uncomfortable truths that are far from convenient or safe.

In response to Prof. Robertson’s talk, which unpacked the relationship between surveillance, entertainment, and power in this way, Prof. Yuko Itatsu added her comments, and the discussion continued. For example, on the point that Aibo’s cuteness distracts from its surveillance aspect, it was confirmed that Aibo’s function of protecting people from risk and danger is actually limited, and that security and safety are meant to provide emotional support that someone is watching over them. Other questions included what surveillance capitalism would bring to Japan, where corporate-centered logic is at the center of society. In this regard, it was pointed out that Japan has not yet established a legal system for the misuse of AI, and that dialogue is needed in the future. In addition, it was noted that just as the goals of aibo and LOVOT are different, the design and purpose of robots may differ depending on the size of the company.

Thus, this talk was extremely stimulating as an opportunity to examine how corporate surveillance is embedded in everyday life and entertainment through the case of aibo, an embodied AI robot.