Curtis

Emotional Availability of Robo-Nannies

The robot T-101 assumes an odd, uncharacteristic role in Terminator 2. Due to its
displayed emotional capabilities and success in guarding Johns wellbeing, it can be classified as
a nanny. This can be proved by comparing the role of a nanny to the information provided in
scholarly articles, robotic experiments, and popular fiction movies and books.
Definitions and Applications: What is a nanny?
Generally, when one hears the word nanny, it is interpreted as the equivalent of a
babysitter. A childs caregiver, empowered by the childs parents or legal guardians to watch over
the child when they are absent or busy. If you call Amanda Dunyak, nanny of fifteen years, a
babysitter, however, you could be in for a rude awakening. In her article, Im a Nanny, Not a
Babysitter. And Yes, Theres a Difference! she describes what she believes herself and other
nannies to be. While they may be expected to clean, cook, do laundry, transport the children to
activities, and other menial chores, they play a much bigger role. According to Dunyak, a nanny
serves as a teacher and is responsible for the wellbeing of the child(ren). A nanny becomes a part
of the family, helps raise the children, and becomes a dominant figure in their lives. Nannies help
shape children behaviorally, emotionally and psychologically. They form bonds with the
children, and, in a lot of ways, are like another parent. (Dunyak 1)
It may seem somewhat unorthodox to suggest that a robot could replace a human as a
nanny, but that did not stop Isaac Asimov from placing Robbie in that role in I, Robot. Robbie
was built for the sole purpose of being the robotic nanny to a young girl named Gloria. As such,
it spent a great deal of time with her. The pair formed a strong bond, and, naturally, Robbie

Curtis

became a dominant figure in Glorias life. Robbie was Glorias best friend, and there was little
she would do without it. Robbie enjoyed Glorias company just as much and seemed to
genuinely care about her. Glorias father was often absent due to his work, and her mother
initially enjoyed that Robbie removed what she personally described as the load of
responsibility from her. (Asimov 9) Based on this, it can be said that Robbie was filling an
absence in parental roles for Gloria. The robot supported Glorias emotional and physical wellbeing, and even saved her from death in the book. The bond between the two was proven by the
depression that Gloria suffered from when Robbie was taken from her. The relationship between
Gloria and Robbie helps confirm Dunyaks definition of a nanny and helps to prove that a
robot can, in fact, be one.
It may seem wholly unorthodox to suggest that a built-to-kill robot, like T-101 from
Terminator 2, could be a nanny. Based on Dunyaks definition, however, it seems that the robot
classifies as precisely that. It may not have partaken in cooking, cleaning, or any of the other
menial chores during the movie, but it was responsible for Johns wellbeing. T-101 spent the
entirety of the film protecting John, even to the point of putting itself directly in harms way to
prevent any wrongdoing to him. The robot fits the part of the family description; it stepped in
to fill the vacancy in the paternal role for John. During the movie, Johns mother confirmed this
by voicing her belief that T-101 would never leave John, never hurt him, and, if necessary, would
die to protect him. She followed this by saying, Watching John with the machine, it was
suddenly so clearOf all the would-be fathers who came and went over the years, this thing, this
machine, was the only one that measured up. Based on these details, its safe to say that T-101
became a dominant figure in Johns life and even played the role of a nanny. The bond between

Curtis

the two was confirmed at the end of Terminator 2, during which John mourned the robots loss
after it willing gave up its life in the interest of Johns safety.
Moral Complications with Emotional Unavailability
Noel Sharkey and Amanda Sharkeys The Crying Shame of Robot Nannies: an Ethical
Appraisal focuses on the ethical risks that robot childcare could potentially pose. The pair
outline the aspects of privacy, restraint, deception, accountability, and psychological damage in
regards to autonomous robot caretakers. They point out potential problems, then expand and
explain them in order to portray the serious side effects that they could bring. They do not
propose answers or solutions to the problems in their article, but bring them forward in an
attempt to inform readers and make them contemplate the issues for themselves. The basic
impression the article leaves is that, while robots may be suited for small roles within child
caring, they cannot replace humans in an emotional sense. For the most part, all five of the topics
addressed seem to boil down to the emotional unavailability of robots. And because children
need caretakers with the ability to recognize, analyze, and respond to their issues, (emotional or
otherwise) the Sharkeys believe that robots are not suitable to care for children in the same way
that humans can; robots cannot be proper nannies. (Sharkey and Sharkey 20)
In response to Sharkey and Sharkeys appraisal, Carme Torras wrote Robbie, the Pioneer
Robot Nanny. In this essay, Torras warns readers of the negative impact that can accompany too
heavy of a reliance on robots and technology. Torras claims to occupy a middle ground, not
seeing all negative or all positive in the direction of robot nannies. (Torras 273) His
acknowledgment of the capability of robots to be used in the home is contrasted by his
skepticism of their emotional capabilities in regards to human children. This essay is useful for

Curtis

our purposes in that it confirms that a robot can be a version of a nanny, just not a nanny in the
same sense emotionally that a human can.
On and Off-Screen Applications
As mentioned in the Sharkeys article, the experimental research on robot-child
interaction is very limited. It would be unethical to conduct long term robotic care experiments
on children. (Sharkey and Sharkey 10) Therefore, most of the projects completed have been short
term with limited exposure to robots and were performed under constant adult supervision. With
that being said, I will apply the Sharkeys theories to what limited experiential information I have
uncovered, as well as robotic depictions in popular fiction books and movies. According to
Torras, science fiction used to only be equated with the far-off future, while nowadays it is seen
as anticipating what will happen tomorrow. (Torras 272) Science fiction is beginning to be used
by many universities as an element that complements and consolidates scientific and humanistic
education. For this reason, fictional sources are appropriate to this discussion and support the
purposes of this paper.
The robotic emotional deficiency that Sharkey, Sharkey, and Torres refer to is evident in
Terminator 2. It is obvious both in T-101s actions and in Johns yearning for it to act more
human. In the beginning of the film, John Connor had to teach T-101 what a smile was, and the
humor was evident as viewers watched it struggle to produce one. John also attempted to teach
the robot how to speak in the vernacular, thinking that his formal speech, which was another sign
of its lack of emotion, was lame. A little later, during one of Johns emotional scenes, it asked,
Why do people cry? It was, at that time, unable to comprehend how people could hurt without
physical pain as a predecessor. T-101s emotional unavailability is perhaps the most palpable

Curtis

when demonstrated in regards to human casualties. When John told it that it could not go around
killing people, its response was, Why?
We must remember, however, that T-101 was built with the sole purpose of killing; he is
called the Terminator, after all. Once John enabled T-101s ability to learn with experience, those
aforementioned emotional lapses slowly began to wean out of the film. Terminator, at later
points, was able to smile normally. It even began to speak in the vernacular; in an attempt at
humor, it claimed that it needed a vacation after it lost an arm protecting John. T-101s
emotional availability was confirmed more fully at the end of the film when it offered to give its
life to ensure a safe future, both for John and for humanity as a whole. As John cried and begged
Terminator not to leave him, it told John, I know now why you cry. This response conveyed
that T-101 had grown to care for John and was saddened at the prospect of breaking the bond
they had formed. Some may argue that Terminator was sad simply because its life was ending,
but this argument is nullified by a previous scene in which it told John that it did not fear death.
Most importantly, T-101s willingness to sacrifice itself for the good of the human race portrayed
that itd learned the value of human life, despite its initial directive. Terminator 2 closes with the
following quote from Sarah Connor: The luxury of hope was given to me by the Terminator.
Because if a machine can learn the value of human life, maybe we can too. The progression of
T-101s emotional maturity throughout Terminator 2 is proof that robots can learn to be
emotionally available and therefore can be nannies.
Within the Sharkey and Sharkey essay, the largest amount of space was dedicated to the
psychological risks that robot care could create within children. The main focus of that section
was to point out the negative ways in which a childs relationship with a robot carer could affect
the childs emotional and social development (Sharkey and Sharkey 10) According to

Curtis

Children-Robot Interaction: a Pilot Study in Autism Therapy, however, robots can actually
have the opposite effect. This article outlined the results of robot-child interactions among
autistic children between the ages of two and four. While it is widely believed that motivation is
impaired in autistic children, this experiment proved otherwise. It was concluded that robots can
facilitate social interaction and its development in autistic children. (Kozima, Nakagawa, and
Yasuda 1) This finding is proof that robots can help children psychologically. Within I, Robot,
Robbie played a key role in Glorias mental stability. When it was around, she tended to be
happier and more satisfied with her life. Without it, her attitudes changed drastically and
bordered on depression. She was sad and unsatisfied, only showing positive emotion when she
was presented with situations that would increase the likelihood of Robbie returning to her. The
bond Gloria formed with Robbie was made even stronger because of the lack of attention given
by her primary caregivers, which were her mother and father. According to the Sharkey and
Sharkey article, children with disorganized attachment have no consistent attachment behavior
patterns, but Gloria was attached consistently to Robbie. (Sharkey and Sharkey 13) This is proof
that robots can actually improve the psychological standings of children and invalidates the
Sharkeys claims against robotic capability of nanny-hood.
Multimodal Child-Robot Interaction: Building Social Bonds explained an experiment
put into place in hospitals with metabolically ill children. The aims of the project were to develop
the science supporting robot companions ability to interact with children so that robots can be
used as an alternative in hospitals as friends, mentors, and health management supporters.
(Baxter, Belpaeme, Read, and Wood 1) Watching after the health of a child and establishing a
bond with him/her are key aspects in the role of a nanny, and if a robot can display these
qualities, it can qualify as a nanny itself. Robbie and T-101 both displayed these qualities.

Curtis

Throughout the entirety of Terminator 2, the robot defended Johns life with its own. Its main
priority was Johns wellbeing, to the point that it gave its life for Johns.
Conclusions
All of the information presented in this essay collaborates and aids in proving that robots
can be nannies. The sources helped dissipate the apprehensions of robotic childcare from both
the Sharkeys and Torras. Robots can learn to be emotionally available and are good for a childs
mental stability. They can bond with and protect children, just like Dunyak and other human
nannies. And because robots can in fact be nannies, T-101s role as a nanny to John Connor
within Terminator 2 is validated.

Bibliography

Curtis

Asimov, Isaac. I, Robot. New York: Gnome Press, 1950.

Baxter, Paul, Tony Belpaeme, Robin Read, and Rachel Wood. Multimodal Child-Robot
Interaction: Building Social Bonds. PDF. Plymouth University, 2014.

Dunyak, Amanda. Im a Nanny, Not a Babysitter. And Yes, Theres a Difference! Nanny
Magazine, 2014. Web.

Kozima, Nakagawa, and Yasuda. Children-Robot Interaction: a Pilot Study in Autism

Therapy. National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, 2007. Web.

Sharkey, Amanda and Noel Sharkey. The Crying Shame of Robot Nannies; an Ethical
Appraisal. PDF. University of Sheffield, 2010.

Torras, Carme. Robbie, the Pioneer Robot Nanny. PDF. CSIC-UPC, 2010.