Semi-retired professor Carolyn Marvin became a local celebrity facing down Philadelphia’s growing robot delivery army: ‘It’s my first amendment right to protest’
  • butwhyishischinabook@anarchist.nexusEnglish
    91·
    6 hours ago

    I’m sorry but a robot box delivering my food doesn’t make it “slop,” this isn’t like AI at all. The food isn’t worse, or even colder, it’s just being delivered by a robot instead of an underpaid guy on a bike or in a car. Why are we fighting to maintain an extremely exploitative gig economy and tipping culture at the same time? I thought both were bad? I don’t get it.

  • ¬∃x(∀y(y∈x↔y∉y))@programming.dev
    3·
    6 hours ago

    I think that’s a reasonable reaction to the further encroachment of robots into parts of life where they didn’t exist before.

    I’ll also say that if they decorated those things in a way that didn’t make us feel like we’re living in the WALL-E universe, I’d feel a tad bit better about it. Like, make it steampunk or something.

  • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
    62·
    7 hours ago

    I mean in one sense I get it but in another sense what a weird hill to have chosen.

    Of all the things and ways to protest, how is stopping me from getting my burger really helping? It’s not even as if I ordered it from an AI company, it’s from a local burger place.

  • Naich@piefed.worldEnglish
    257·
    13 hours ago

    Thing is that delivery robots are quite an efficient way to get stuff moved. Getting a robot delivery from a store is better for the environment than driving there.

    • amniotic druid@lemmy.worldEnglish
      113·
      12 hours ago

      Yes, what an absolutely asinine thing to “protest” over and trying to tie it to being against AI is cheap and disingenuous. “Not the poor DoorDashers!!!”

  • r0ertel@lemmy.world
    72·
    14 hours ago

    This is a really tough one to decide where to side. On the one hand, its first amendment rights and on the other, its the rights of corporations via robots. I’m so torn on this issue.

      • friend_of_satan@lemmy.worldEnglish
        8·
        10 hours ago

        Definitely not. Look at the short video in the article, and imagine there are dozens of those things, which will inevitably happen if this kind of thing ramps up, which is surely what the corporation who’s running these things wants. There would be no way to safely walk down the sidewalk, and people would be forced to walk in the street to get around them.

        • NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io
          22·
          8 hours ago

          To be fair if there are dozens of these things on the sidewalk then that means traffic is much better and the road can be cannibalized to increase the area available. Assuming the government acts fairly and promptly (hah, as if), this is a win for everyone involved.

          • mnemonicmonkeys@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
            1·
            3 hours ago

            if there are dozens of these things on the sidewalk then that means traffic is much better

            That’s a stretch. There could still be plenty of car traffic while still having sidewalks filled with bots

          • swicano@programming.dev
            163·
            13 hours ago

            The road! It’s got 4 wheels and motors. Or we could think about how we’ve designed urban spaces that surrender all space to cars forcing everyone not in a car can get fucked, so maybe take one car lane away and make a new bike/ delivery bot lane.

            • fonix232@fedia.io
              42·
              8 hours ago

              Except they’re not road fit.

              They can’t go at appropriate speeds (IIRC most of these go at best 10mph)

              They’re small and low - visibility within city level follow distance is impossible

              Overall, everyone’s safer if they stay on the pavement.

              • swicano@programming.dev
                1·
                12 hours ago

                I’m not sure I see your point, unless you’re assuming college campuses and downtown cores aren’t still heavily car based in the US? I assure you most of them have a road or parking lane to spare near the restaurants that the bots want to pick up from

            • Zahille7@lemmy.world
              15·
              12 hours ago

              Honestly, have them share a bus lane, or expand bike lanes into a secondary lane for delivery robots. Make it on the outside though, so there’s a buffer for cyclists.

              • Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone
                4·
                12 hours ago

                I already hate sharing a sidewalk with them, I would shit blood if one of these fuckers made me late for a bus transfer because it was doing something stupid in the shared lane.

  • friend_of_satan@lemmy.worldEnglish
    21·
    10 hours ago

    I wonder what would happen if you covered up the lidar. Seems like it would stop doing whatever it was doing and ask for human assistance. Seems like the lidar would fit nicely under a to-go bowl, maybe a large soda cup.