Chained robot dog on show sparks controversy on social media

A video has been going viral on social media for the past few days, capturing the attention of many and reigniting the long-standing debate on the dangers of artificial intelligence, especially when these machines appear capable of suffering, exhibiting rebellious instincts, or being driven by malevolent intentions.

The video showcases the installation Dynamics of a Dog on a Chain by Japanese artist Takayuki Todo, featuring two robotic dogs chained to the pillar of the Toda Hall & Conference in Tokyo. Designed to attack visitors, these mechanical quadrupeds, reminiscent of Xiaomi’s Cyberdog and Boston Dynamics’ Spot, lunge erratically at the audience, stumbling, entangling themselves, and repeatedly being yanked back by their own chains. The scene, rather than evoking the docile robotic animals described by Philip K. Dick in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, immediately brings to mind post-apocalyptic sci-fi narratives, drawing eerie parallels to the feral creatures of Metalhead, the infamous Black Mirror episode.

Reactions of outrage and dismay on social media have been swift and sharply divided: on one side, a growing fear of AI’s potential, and on the other, concerns that we may be witnessing a new form of oppression and exploitation. Takayuki Todo, who has long explored the emotional relationship between humans and robots, seems to have struck a raw nerve in our deeply ambivalent approach to artificial intelligence, as well as in our very conception of freedom, control and empathy.