They are nimble. They are shrewd. They are tenacious. Every day more robots with artificial intelligence are created to make human lives easier. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, describes a future where machines are a basic part of the citizen’s lives. The coexistence of robots and humans in harmony approaches rapidly. Intelligent machines push humans and automatons towards a world where machines can help humans in low-level jobs, where machines and humans can explore together, and where machines and humans can save lives together.

Machines and humans will work together. Zume, a pizza shop, acts as a present-day example, where robots prep most of the meal. ‘”It’s delicious. It’s always hot and fresh when it comes,” a customer said. “I can’t tell the difference that it’s made by a robot versus a human.”’ (Chea, 2). Robots will do the monotonous, repetitive jobs that humans don’t enjoy. At Zume food quality did not suffer, and no one at the store lost their job because they were needed as supervisors. In addition, humans will receive more wages because robots don’t need money. While naysayers might say that social interaction will decrease; however, they do not realize that it will actually increase as people have more free time with the machines and humans working together.

As machines and humans advance on the frontier of science, they will continue to help the rest of the world together. A real-world example talks about how a blind man was able to drive around in one of Google’s driverless cars. He states, “‘These cars will change the life prospects of people such as myself. I want very much to become a member of the driving public again.’” ( Halsey III and Laris, 2). In the future people with disabilities will be able to travel without having to rely on others. It will also save them money because they do not have to pay Uber/taxi drivers for their services. The self-driving car is poised to change people’s lives and help them become a part of the community. This brilliant technology will help the rest of the world and make life easier for many individuals. While critics may say that this advanced technology will put taxi drivers out of business they do not realize taxi drivers will still have many customers, and machines and humans will be able to help the rest of the world together.

Machines and humans will be able to save lives together. Automatons have the ability to explore dangerous areas that humans cannot reach. They will be able to extract survivors from the rubble and bring them to medics. The SALTO robot, for example, can collect data from nuclear power plant areas. “Ideally, someday a SALTO-like robot will carry small sensors capable of detecting people trapped beneath piles of debris.” ( Kaplan, 2) The SALTO-like robot’s size and agility make it an ideal scout during a search and rescue effort. After an earthquake or building collapse, the robot will be able to sense a buried person. Once it does, a follow-up team of human rescuers will be able to retrieve the victim. Humans and robots will be able to work in tandem to save lives, and in a safe way. When opponents state that the robots could take over they don’t realize that these robots are not powerful enough to take over, so robots and humans will still be able to save lives together.

Intelligent machines will join humans as their assistants, explorers, and rescuers. The technology in Fahrenheit 451 will immerse our world in many ways. Seashells are akin to earphones, and parlor walls to flat-screen TVs. Bradbury predicted the evolution of technology on Earth fifty years ago. At technology’s current rate there is no telling where it will be in the future. Machines are swifter, keener, and tougher, and they can bring humans to a new world past any of Bradbury’s predictions.

Sources

Newsela | Google Achieves Milestone in Driverless Car Technology Development, newsela.com/read/blind-driverless-car/id/24973.

Newsela | SALTO May Give Us a Leg up in Aiding Disaster Relief, newsela.com/read/salto-the-jumping-robot/id/24729/.

Newsela | Robot! Robot! Intelligent Machines Helping to Revolutionize Pizza Industry, newsela.com/read/pizza-making-robots/id/21690/.

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451. Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, 2012.