Transitioning into an era of Human-Robot marriages: Can programmed relationships be sustainable?

Humans till date are the undisputed number one in the animal kingdom. We are already at the top of the evolutionary pyramid as a supreme primate. Yet, we try so many things in pursuit of permanent paramountcy. But in that process, are we endangering ourselves, and the human race as a whole?

Let us consider, mechanization. For most of us, it's very difficult to imagine a life without the range of machines that have now become an integral part of our lives. Our liaison with these machines has become too deep and strong, that even a temporary detachment is agonizing and inconvenient. The driving forces for human and machine associations are "comfort" and "compatibility".

We've entered an era of Artificial Intelligence (AI), and we see a future which would be significantly impacted by the strides in AI. One of the highlights of AI, that is particularly very intriguing is, robots driven by AI algorithms and Human-Robot relationships. Robots in a broad sense are sophisticated machines designed to replicate human functionalities and activities. They are specifically called "humanoid robots" when they have a human-like look as an add-on feature. Automation is the key word here. Various functionalities can be programmed into the robot, and it can be made to do repetitive human-like tasks. Cognition would be artificial rather than natural, here.

The advancements have been almost exponential and now we have sophisticated humanoid robots like Sophia, with a life-like human skin, which are programmed to recognize individuals, walk, show programmed set of facial expressions, speak/talk based on pre-written responses (chatbox), etc. Given this, and the fact that robots certainly score high on the areas of adding comfort to us and being compatible with us, how feasible is it to build Human-Robot relationships as a replacement to human-human relationships?

We live in a world which is becoming increasingly intolerant and selfish. Marriages are threatened by insecurity, infidelity, ego, jealousy, selfishness and the list goes on. There are many broken marriages around us which reflect that relationships are becoming increasingly flimsy and brittle. However, we are in search of permanence all the time. Even in relationships, we wish to build everlasting ones. But there's always a trade off between having a good relationship with your partner and comfort and compatibility. Many a time, sacrifices are required, and ultimately, if both sides fail to balance, the relationship breaks. On this note, can Human-Robot relationships be seen to be more viable, secure and least stressful?

There are true stories of people who are marrying holograms and humanoid robots. This growing trend suggests that we are not far away from the day when many countries would legalize Human-Robot marriages and associations. A robot can be programmed to do all the household chores, various other specified tasks, and also mimic human behaviors and responses. Ultimately we also lose the emotional connect with fellow humans and will lead a programmed life, devoid of procreation. As we are missing out to show little compassion, tolerance and flexibility, we're placing the entire human race at risk. Automation growing beyond the bounds, day by day, causing laziness and intolerance, will it drive humanity to extinction? Automation in moderation could be a possible solution, perhaps!