NANNY ON WHEELS

Who wants to leave their baby with a three-foot talking vacuum cleaner?  Codey, the humanoid robot from Mind Children, a Seattle company will be introduced to the public by the end of 2026. My thought is, “Don’t we have enough robots in Congress?  Do we also have to hire them as baby sitters?” This is not a rhetorical question. 

Robot nannies are already being used in Japan and China.  Child care in the U.S. is already a big, expensive problem, and more than 11 million children in the United States, younger than age 5, are in some form of childcare.  Yes, childcare is expensive, but are parents willing to trust a robot to raise their kids? A robot cannot think for itself.  It has to be carefully programmed.  If the program isn’t clear, the robot could go to the refrigerator and grab a bottle of vodka instead of a bottle of juice.  After all a bottle is a bottle.

The big question is, “Will people ever trust a robot to look after their baby when they aren’t around to supervise?”  Some experts say, “Yes,” and others say “Hell, NO!”
A robotic nanny hasn’t been trained for child development. The robot might be able to chop an onion, but she can’t provide the skills of a professional nanny.  I have never heard of a robot who has CPR/first aid certification and has taken a two year course in child development.

How about emergency evacuation, or water safety?  When a child says, “Let’s go swimming.”  will the  robot nanny jump in the water and develop rust?  Or if the little girl falls and has a “Boo Boo” will she be able to climb into the Robot’s lap and get a comforting hug?  Can love be programmed?

Bottom line…”Which tech company would you trust with your child’s care?” How about the Elon Musk’s chainsaw approach?  Granted, he’s got lots of kids, but would you want him as the owner of the company who designed your child’s nanny on wheels?

It’s one thing to have a car that has no driver, but it’s another to have a child raised by a talking vacuum cleaner with no heart.

Esther Blumenfeld