Science fiction can often be a predictor of science's future, too. In 2008, when my first big novel, "The Crider Chronicles," was riding tall in the saddle, having won a Reader's Choice award, I was an invited guest at the big sci-fi and fantasy convention DragonCon. At the awards dinner, "Star Trek" actor Robert Picardo was the keynote speaker, and he talked about just this, at one point asking us if we remembered Captain James T. Kirk's famous communicator, which he would whip out, flip open, and shout "Scotty, beam me up!" whenever the occasion called for it. Mr. Picardo then pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, flipped it open, and showed it to the audience.

This brings us to humaniform robots, as Dr. Asimov predicted. Turns out both Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, two titans of tech, are excited about the prospects of these things.

For years, artificial intelligence has been trapped behind screens, powering chatbots and crunching data. But the next big revolution in AI won’t just talk; it will walk, move, and work in ways very similar to us.

I’m talking, of course, about humanoid robots.

These creations are finally stepping out of science fiction and into reality, possibly poised to become the most disruptive AI advancement yet. From factory floors to elder care, these machines could easily reshape industries, redefine labor… maybe even challenge what it means to be human.

But don’t just take my word for it.

We don't, but we will listen to what Musk and Zuckerberg have to say.

(Elon Musk's) firm Tesla (TSLA) has created a humanoid robot called Optimus, which is already being used inside Tesla factories to complete a variety of tasks. The company plans to ramp Optimus production to use them in its factories worldwide. It’s said that next year, it will start selling its robots to outside companies. And after that, it aims to offer them to consumers like you and me.

And:

(Mark Zuckerberg) just created a new business unit within the company that is dedicated to the development of humanoid technology. Reportedly, Meta isn’t trying to create a full robot but, rather, an underlying software platform that robot-makers like Tesla can integrate into their bots.

This, clearly, is happening, to one degree or another. Consumer-marketed humaniform robots - androids - are likely a ways off yet. But what impact would such a device make on our society? Our everyday lives? And why copy the rather inefficient (for a machine, at least) human form?

Well, as a science-fiction writer, I have some thoughts.

See Related: No, Artificial Intelligence Is Not Going to Destroy Humanity

See Spot. See Spot Run. See Spot Catch Crooks: Meet the LAPD's Robot Dog.

First, think of the impact on our everyday lives. A functional, capable, AI-driven android could be wondrous. It would allow the elderly and infirm a great deal more autonomy and independence than they now enjoy. From household chores to bringing in groceries from the (self-driving?) car to mowing the lawn, an android could handle many of the day-to-day tasks that the elderly and infirm now struggle with. Even for those of us who are perfectly capable, an AI-driven android servant would free us up from a lot of day-to-day tasks and allow us to focus more on the things we do best - in my case, writing for all of you readers here at RedState.

Second, a practical, effective robot or android - they wouldn't necessarily have to be humaniform - could revolutionize manufacturing. In fact, robots are already taking over much of traditional assembly-line manufacturing. While there is the trouble of human workers being displaced, there are advantages to this as well; a robot never takes vacations, never falls ill, and works 24/7/365, only going down for required maintenance. This lowers costs, and ultimately, prices for the consumer.

And why an android? Why should a robot adopt the rather inefficient human form? If the machine is to adopt human tasks, to use machinery ranging from laundry machines to lawnmowers, the human form makes a certain amount of sense. It also makes the machine more relatable to us. So, there's that.

There may be a catch - there's always a catch.

When Dr. Asimoc wrote his "Robot" series, he posited that each robot would be inculcated with the Three Laws of Robotics, those being:

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

Later in the series, a very advanced android named R. Daneel Olivaw, who was a self-appointed guardian of humanity, derived what he called the Zeroth Law:

A robot may not injure humanity or, through inaction, allow humanity to come to harm.

It doesn't take a great deal of intuition to see how that could go badly wrong. In Asimov's works, it didn't - but it very well could. Any robots we adopt to help us in our industry or our everyday tasks should - must - have some kind of similar software restrictions.

Humaniform robots - androids - may indeed be the next big thing. Elon Musk, among others, seems determined to make it so, and a lot of people have come to grief underestimating Elon Musk's determination to make things happen. And, as I'm fond of continually pointing out, we solve today's problems with tomorrow's technology, and androids may well be a part of that. But this is something that should be adopted with caution.

When it comes to new and exciting tech, though, caution isn't something humanity has historically been really good at. As with so many things, we'll leap before we look.

If you're interested in my science-fiction series described above, give it a read! And if you're interested in ancient Rome, read this one.