"A robot revolution is upon us."
The impassioned words of Dr. Takahiro Ishimura filled the auditorium, igniting the minds of his inquisitive audience. The world-renowned roboticist did not often visit Seoul, but whenever he did, notable members of both academia and the media were always present. Ishimura was known for his extraordinary – yet eccentric – thoughts and theories, as well as his extensive contributions to the field of robotics. Such a visit was a rare spectacle, and the audience came prepared, wielding an array of cameras, microphones, audio recorders, and notebooks – eager to capture every word.
The man stood at the elevated podium, poised and confident, a translator working diligently at his side. "It's already starting to happen," he told them. "We are developing authentic attachments to our technical inventions. Tell me – who of you, in here this afternoon, purposely left your smartphone at home?"
A brief round of laughter rose from the audience, to which Ishimura responded with a satisfied chuckle. "It is indeed happening," he stated, "and it's guaranteed to change the way we see ourselves. Robots have become our colleagues – even our companions. We have developed – and continue to develop – robots to serve in healthcare, manufacturing, education, and also customer service industries. Some of these robots look like animals or toys. But others look disturbingly like us."
Here, the man paused, his brow furrowing in thought. "But is it disturbing as much as it is eye-opening?" He asked of them. "For, you see, the study of human-like robots – of androids – can never be done without the pursuit of human-likeness itself. Studying androids is almost equivalent to studying what it means to be human. In order to make something that is useful for people, we must first understand human beings. As hard as it may be to believe, robots are not that much different from humans. Or should I say, humans are not that much different from robots. We are only more autonomous and more intelligent – that's it," he declared, simply. "It really is. It's interesting how we human beings don't really understand ourselves. What is human? What do we mean when we say think? What are emotions? These are the questions that we need to ask."
"I can't believe you guys actually showed up!" Namjoon slid into a seat at the occupied booth, and reached across the table for a steaming hot chicken wing. It was only just after four-thirty pm, but the restaurant was already crowded and bustling with activity. 'Wings' was a popular spot on Seoul National University's campus, boasting a delicious menu and casual atmosphere – and it served as the perfect meeting place for Namjoon's special announcement.
The rest of his friends were all sat around the table, decorated with heaping plates of fried chicken, and they dove right in, not even bothering to wait for Namjoon to arrive. To be honest, they had no clue as to what he was going to tell them, and they hadn't received much by way of preamble. All they had gotten was a text message to their group chat, saying "BIG news!!!! Wings @ 4:30."
"I mean, you called us out here," Yoongi grumbled from his place beside Namjoon, his chopsticks aiming for a piece of chicken. "I was in the middle of a fucking nap." He stuffed the chicken into his mouth.
"Okay, but is there ever a good time to call you, though?" Namjoon countered in defense, grabbing an unused pair of chopsticks. "If you're not sleeping, you're high."
"And?" Yoongi turned to look at him, his narrowed eyes unimpressed, before turning away and taking a long gulp of his soda. "I can't even lie – I'm just here for the food."
"They, honestly, have the best chicken," Hoseok agreed from across the table.
"But knowing you," Jimin tossed a napkin at Namjoon, a teasing lilt in his voice, "that's probably not why we're here."
