Chapter 191: A Big Discussion

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

In order to avoid two debates that would have been raised by the “Limited Self-defense” and “Ultimate Control” functions of the Bang Bang robot, Chen Jin decided to ax the two controversial functions.

Debate one, could robots harm humans?

Debate two, who was the guilty one? Was the tool guilty or the user of the tool guilty?

Intense arguments were raised by these two questions.

“I think that the Bang Bang robot should be equipped with the “Limited Self-defense” function. It was designed and installed for the protection of humans. With this function, the robot can protect the good guys from the bad guys! We’ll also have another self-defense method at our disposal. This function should be retained.”

Someone retorted immediately, “Haha, how does a robot differentiate between a good guy and a bad guy? What if Bang Bang’s user was a serial debt dodger? Even though he has money he refuses to pay his debts! People would go to his home and ask him to pay up; in the process, they may be a bit rough with him. Can this debt dodger command the Bang Bang robot to activate ‘Limited Self-Defense’ to drive the debt-collectors away? Do you think Bang Bang is helping a good guy or a bad guy?”

“Your hypothesis is invalid. In recent years, the country has been very harsh on those untrustworthy debt dodgers and limits have been placed on their high expenditures. They don’t have the right to buy a Bang Bang robot!”

“Ok, let’s leave the debt dodgers out of the question then. What if it was a domestic conflict between husband and wife? Which side should the Bang Bang robot stand on? In addition, there could be disputes between brothers or conflicts between a wife and her mother-in-law. There are countless incidents where these kinds of conflicts have ended in violence. How should the robot handle such conflicts? Should it proceed with ‘Limited Self-defense?”

“This… Nobody can really resolve family conflicts except for the family members involved, but I think that the weak should be protected. Bang Bang should protect the weaker person!”

“The weak? Haha, think about those elderly who get on the public bus looking like Lin Daiyu but transform into Li Xiaolong after alighting… Do you think they are weak? Think about those middle-aged ladies who congregate at the community dance session at the plaza. They look tough enough to win any fight. Do they need to be protected by the robot? I think they are the strong and we are the weak!”

“You… you can’t generalize. If you came face-to-face with a real criminal, this function of Bang Bang could save your life!”

“Haha, that’s not a guarantee. If Bang Bang was confronted with a real criminal, its fighting ability could be easily taken care of by the criminal. In addition, he may take revenge on the intended victim. Perhaps, the incident would not have resulted in a fatality, but the criminal was provoked into a blind rage and killed the victim. Originally, there was only meant to be a small loss of valuables and minimal injury to the victim, but the use of the robot has resulted in greater losses and injuries. As it is, the ‘limited self-defense’ is trivial and insufficient. It is only useful if the robot is stronger than the criminal.”

“I… I…”

The opposing view was definitely winning. Arguments surrounding the “Ultimate Control” mode were even more intense.

The arguments were not about how useless or impractical the function was, but about how the bad guys could employ that function for their own nefarious purposes.

“In the future, thieves and burglars no longer have to do their own dirty work. They can commit the crime by operating the Bang Bang robot. This way, they would not have to expose their physical selves. Bank robbers would only have to control the robot and command it to rush into the bank and destroy the place. They could get millions without fear of the police catching them. Once they dump their remote controls, they can escape from the law. The Bang Bang robot is the perfect tool for committing a crime.”

“Yeah, it’s simply too easy to commit a crime if you have a Bang Bang robot. For example, murder. One could murder someone by operating the Bang Bang robot from behind the scenes, and no matter if the crime was successfully carried out or not, the real criminal would remain free of the law. He would continue to look for his next victim. The frequency of homicides in our society would rapidly increase.”

However, there were comments below that refuted the arguments presented.

“The two who posted their comments above mine must have read too many novels. Your logical thinking seemed to be compromised. I guess that you’ve not seen ‘Wa-wah 2’ in the cinemas either? The activation process for the ‘Ultimate Control’ mode is explained very clearly in the movie. When the user meets with a tricky issue, he would first have to apply to Xing Hai Technologies for approval to remote control the robot. In addition, the user has to call the police to report the issue! The ‘Ultimate Control’ mode can only be successfully activated with the co-supervision of all three parties. The entire scene under the ‘Ultimate Control’ mode will also be recorded.”

In the movie, when Xiao Lan’s father applied for the activation of this function, Xing Hai Technologies discussed the decision for five minutes without any fear of appearing silly to the audience. Just as the audience was about to rage at the delay, the company finally gave the approval. Although it blackened its image in the movie, the purpose behind it was simple. It was to emphasize that the “Ultimate Control” mode would be activated with the supervision of many third parties. In addition, it also expressed that the mode should be activated with caution. The user could only activate it as a last resort.

Even so, Xing Hai Technologies had still announced the removal of this function in real life. The reason given was that the company had taken into account the many worries that people had and would rather ax the function than to cause controversy.

“I thought that it was a greatly unnecessary move! There are no good or evil tools. The crux is the user; it depends on whether the user is a good or bad person. If a bad person wants to do evil, even a stone can become a tool for him to commit his crime. Should all knives be banned simply because a kitchen knife was used to murder someone? That is impossible. The “Ultimate Control” mode of Bang Bang robot could indeed be employed by criminal elements. But such an incident would be extremely rare with an excellent regulatory mechanism. If a criminal could still find a loophole within the combined mechanism of remote monitoring by Xing Hai Technologies, police supervision and full video recording, this could only reflect the incompetence of the three parties as well as the shocking genius of the criminals. This kind of situation is extremely rare. Therefore, it was really unnecessary to remove that function. This is absolutely much safer than the drugs flooding Canada or the guns that are overwhelming Merica. Moreover, this function would definitely play an unexpected role at the critical moment. It could be the hand of the user stretched out in an entreaty for help, and by grasping it, we would be able to maintain our society’s happiness.”

The argument made by this person was agreed upon by many.

“Yes, it can be used with an ease of mind with a good regulatory mechanism.”

“This form of regulatory mechanism is way better than the one of Didi Dache. It’s very safe and effective!”

“Brothers, you’ve mentioned the guns in Merica; I have to say that it’s a perfect example. If the guns in Merica fell under the regulations that Bang Bang robot was under, the number of fatalities would be reduced by at least 99%! The problem is that it’s too easy to open a gun safe, after which, the user simply has to press a finger on the trigger. The Bang Bang robot is still better.”

“The tool is innocent! As long as the regulatory mechanism is on point, I hope that this function can be retained in the Bang Bang robot.”

Based on public opinions, over 90% of the population agreed that the “Ultimate Control” function should be retained. Moreover, in a government discussion for the relevant departments, more than 70% of officials agreed that retaining the “Ultimate Control” function in the Bang Bang robot was not out of the question if there was a very good regulatory mechanism.

Therefore, the personnel in charge at the relevant departments commented to Xing Hai Technologies, “It is best to remove the ‘Limited Self-defense’ function. But the ‘Ultimate Control’ function can be trialed in a couple of different areas. If it is proven that there are more pros than cons, it can be fully utilized.”

The positive remark given by the relevant government authorities raised the spirits of everyone in Xing Hai Technologies! Zhou Kun, who was in charge of the Bang Bang robot project, rubbed his hands in excitement. “The relevant government authorities are quite reasonable, they didn’t reject the idea immediately. Instead, they said that we could carry out a pilot scheme. This is an opportunity to prove that ‘tools are not evil.’ We must grab this opportunity! Not only can we prove that tools are not evil, but they can also be a great source of assistance!”

“Yes!” Zhang Zhi Wei, who had been promoted to assistant project manager, sighed heavily. “We’re lucky that we’re in Z country. If we were in the west, a product like the Bang Bang robot could never have been launched. Western theories like ‘robots destroy the world’ and ‘robots are harmful’ have a deep impact on the people there. Conspiracy theories are prevalent and there are too many anti-intellectual remarks. When it comes to the extent of changing expressions towards robots, there is definitely a larger group of people that promote the resistance against robots there than there are in Z country. We, the Chinese people, are more pragmatic.”

Chen Jin shook his head. “Fear is born from ignorance. And there are too many ignorant people, the progress of science will be impeded. The root of the problem is still the sub-par basic education. There is an inadequate level of scientific literacy, to the point that people don’t have the ability to judge if something is good or bad. Guns can kill, yet people own them like a common item. Bang Bang robot can save lives, yet they resist it. Sometimes people really die from their ignorance.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

…

With the popular release of the movie “Wa-wah 2”, the public discussions about the various functions of Bang Bang robot became even more intense.

On the 10th of February, amidst the fervent anticipation of billions in the population, the all-new product of Xing Hai Technologies, Bang Bang Robot, was announced.

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