Robots are coming.  It just seems inevitable that with the advancement of technology, we’re going to have sophisticated machines.  The question is this:

• are they going to be extremely helpful, or
• are they going to be humanity’s downfall?

Here’s a non-academic article summarizing the two questions by comparing R2-D2 and C-3PO.  It’s a couple years old, but still spot on, I think.  Here’s a great point:

R2-D2 excels in areas where humans are deficient: deep computation, endurance in extreme conditions, and selfless consciousness. R2-D2 is a computer that compensates for human deficiencies — it shines where humans fail.

C3-PO is the personification of the selfish human — cloying, rules-bound, and despotic. (Don’t forget, C3-PO let Ewoks worship him!) C3-PO is a factotum for human vanity — it engenders the worst human characteristics.

The chart is also humorous.

In short, the conclusion is that if we can a good future with robots, we shouldn’t anthropomorphize them.  Let the robots be robots.