In a startling development, Gumi City Council in South Korea is probing an incident involving a robotic administrative officer that reportedly plunged to its death from a staircase. The incident has raised questions about whether work-related pressure is now impacting robots.
On June 26, Gumi City Council revealed that its top administrative robot seemingly ended its “life” by falling down a six-and-a-half-foot staircase. Speculation about the robot’s demise being a suicide arose after an official observed the robot “circling in one spot as if something was there” prior to the incident, according to Agence France-Presse.
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The robot, which began its tenure as a city council officer in August 2023, was equipped with the capability to navigate between floors autonomously by calling an elevator. The council is set to launch an investigation into the robot’s death, exploring whether it experienced “depression.” “Pieces have been collected and will be analyzed by the company,” officials stated.
‘Sad’ robot worked from 9 am to 6 pm
Manufactured by California-based startup Bear Robotics, known for its restaurant-serving robots, this particular robot was the first of its kind to serve as a city council officer. It performed tasks such as daily document deliveries, city promotion, and information dissemination. The robot worked from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and had its own civil service officer card.
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An officer described the robot as a “diligent” worker. However, the council is currently not considering the appointment of another robot officer.
South Korea is a global leader in adopting robotic technology. The International Federation of Robotics reports that the country has the highest robot density in the world, with one industrial robot for every ten human employees.
This unusual incident has sparked widespread discussion, with many pondering whether the robot succumbed to “work stress.” The scenario evokes comparisons to the 2004 sci-fi film “I, Robot,” where an advanced robot exhibits human-like traits, including dreaming. Meanwhile, this news coincides with a recent breakthrough by Japanese researchers who successfully attached living skin tissue to a robotic face.
