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Woman arrested after blocking delivery robot in Philadelphia confrontation (abc13.com)
submitted 3 weeks ago by to c/fuck_ai@lemmy.world
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A Philadelphia woman was arrested after allegedly refusing to move out of the path of a delivery robot.

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[–] [S] 90 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

If the robot had hit the lady, it wouldn't have been arrested, and its corporate owners wouldn't have been charged. Because you know, the AI did it. Oopsies...

Welcome to a world where man has fewer rights than machines.

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  • [–] 6 points 3 weeks ago (1 child)

    More like a world where the humans have less rights than corporations. And we've been living in that world for decades.

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  • [–] 4 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

    Ai is to by pass all the annoying laws we put on corporations. Suddenly its okay to pay people under minimum wage, and fix prices for uber drivers because an ai is doing it.

    Its like a sub entity that gives a corporation autonomy. Oddly enough the paper clip maximizer is already the profit model we where using before LLMs so it slots in perectly. I think when we create these entities that inherently don't have life, but still need to consume exponentially to survive that they just always act this way no matter the form.

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    • [–] 35 points 3 weeks ago

    The robots should get iff the sidewalk. Let it be with other motor traffic.

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    [–] 16 points 3 weeks ago

    Well, there had to be a first.

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    [–] 7 points 3 weeks ago (1 child)

    Charged with disorderly conduct in case anyone's wondering.

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    • [–] 2 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

    Obviously, the delivery robots need weapons for better profit maximization.

    About 5 years ago, there was a hitchhiking robot that was trying to cross the US. When it got to Philadelphia it was FUBARed.

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  • [–] 2 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

    Was watching something recently and a character told a robot to stay out of Philly, or the east coast, something like that. I started laughing, my son asked what was so funny so I had to bring up this robot and explain what happened lol.

    Edit: it was bobs burgers 🤣🤣

    https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6119178/trivia/

    "At about 16:45 Yuli is escorting the robot outside for its "spiritual voyage" when he wishes it, "Safe travels, robot. Avoid Philly." This is a reference to a social experiment called "hitchBOT" - a Canadian hitchhiking robot. The robot was meant to learn about human experiences in various places by hitchhiking, and had hitchhiked through all of Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands. However, this experiment abruptly ended on hitchBOT's first stop in the USA, Philadelphia, where it was immediately destroyed and "beheaded" by unidentified locals. The robot should definitely avoid Philly."

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    • [–] 3 points 3 weeks ago

    Don’t stand there! Just tip the fucker over and walk away…

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    [+] -16 points 3 weeks ago (30 children)

    She sounds like a bit of a nutter, to be honest.

    We've been losing jobs to automation for over a hundred years, and yet most of the adult population are employed.

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  • [–] [S] 45 points 3 weeks ago (28 children)

    She may or may not be a nutter (her reaction is probably a by-product of being from another generation though, I would guess).

    But the point it, blocking a fucking robot shouldn't be an arrestable offense.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 weeks ago (3 children)

    So if you're riding in an autonomous taxi, ya got no problem with me blocking it?

    Having said that, "disorderly conduct" is something of a stretch per PA law.

    https://www.legis.state.pa.us/wu01/li/li/ct/htm/18/00.055.003.000..htm

    Said in another comment, I'd love to see how a good defense attorney plays this.

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  • [–] [S] 1 point 3 weeks ago (1 child)

    So if you’re riding in an autonomous taxi, ya got no problem with me blocking it?

    Absolutely not. Have at it.

    You know why? Cuz I'm not riding in a fucking robo-taxi. Just like I don't use the self-checkout lanes at the supermarket. I like my money to give someone a job.

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  • [+] -18 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

    You're missing the part where the police told her multiple times to knock it off, that's what got her arrested.

    Jobless behaviour, in my opinion.

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  • [+] -18 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (19 children)

    I mean you may not like self-serve machines in grocery stores, but if you stand in front of it and stop it working while a customer was in the middle of using it... you are making a tool of yourself and being a public nuisance.

    Someone's expecting a meal they paid for and you're in the goddamn way.

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  • [–] 15 points 3 weeks ago (18 children)

    Motor Vehicles belong in the street. Sidewalks are the tiny little space we used to allocate for humans. I guess we're not allowed any space now, just need to either drive everywhere or have it delivered. What a lovely society we're building.

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  • [+] -7 points 3 weeks ago* (17 children)

    The street used to belong to humans, too... Isn't having miniature robots– or bikes– a lot safer and more efficient than having to haul entire vehicles around to deliver a bag of food? Especially in tight-nit city areas where traffic already poses a huge problem for people who just want their space to be walkable.

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  • [–] 11 points 3 weeks ago (14 children)

    Bikes have to go in the street, actually.

    But the robots don't for some reason.

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  • [–] -3 points 3 weeks ago* (13 children)

    cause they're two foot tall and aren't gonna run anybody over...

    And besides, isn't this all besides the point? Uber is a terrible company that you should never use anyway, even if they did hire human drivers to deliver your $35 sandwich.

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  • [–] 4 points 3 weeks ago* (12 children)

    They already took the streets from us and made those exclusively for cars. Now they want to take the sidewalks from us and make them for robots, and if you get in the robots' way you get fucking arrested. But they're in the way. How many people in wheelchairs have been forced to stop and wait for a robot to get out of the way?

    It's really not besides the point, it's actually the primary reason I hate them. Sidewalks are for people.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 weeks ago (11 children)

    How many people in wheelchairs have been forced to stop and wait for a robot to get out of the way?

    Well at least one, that I know of; I read an article about that years ago and it's the one issue I can actually see where this is a problem. I just don't buy the logic that we don't need the bots because we have cars; I don't want the cars either! Cars unarguably have been way more of a problem for way longer. They kill people. All the time. They've corrupted urban planning, have huge carbon footprints, destroyed small businesses, and just plain take up a lot of room...

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  • [–] 1 point 3 weeks ago* (10 children)

    I did not say we don't need the bots because we have cars. I said the bots should be forced to use the street.

    As a bonus, that's one fewer lane for the cars.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 weeks ago* (9 children)

    We both know in practice it will mean widening the street so there's a bot lane and pedestrians have less room anyway.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 weeks ago (8 children)

    Only because people like you criticize this woman instead of standing with her.

    We don't have to let them take our sidewalk from us. We can force them to give up a lane of traffic instead.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 weeks ago (7 children)

    Actually... I would stand with this woman. I just believe she's making her point poorly.

    She stood in front of a robot and refused to move, but the act of doing so created the image inadvertently proving it's not in anyone's way... There's plenty of people walking around the robot (and her). It unfortunately makes her mindset seem "Boomer" backwards-thinking and anti-technology on principle– rather than doing this out of care for accessibility and walkable spaces for all or "saving the sidewalk", which by her own admission is not why she did this...

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  • [–] 1 point 3 weeks ago (6 children)

    You literally aren't standing with her, and I don't think there's anything she could have done differently to change that.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 weeks ago (5 children)

    Well she probably could well have done something differently. Namely, probably an entirely different demonstration.

    I will level with you for a moment. If I could make a comparison to another cause, I am often sympathetic to the cause of veganism. I am not vegan or vegetarian myself, but I can't deny they often have a point when they argue the ethics of treating animals like commodities.

    There's the kind of vegan activism where you chain yourself to a truck full of cows ready to be driven to the slaughterhouse; you make a clear point and photos taken of your arrest as you're dragged away draw attention to the undeniable reality of where your meat is coming from. It might even give a few meat eaters some serious pause; the reality is someone is being arrested so a huge corporation can proceed with a literal slaughter.

    And then there's vegan activism where you march into a fast food restaurant, bother innocent minimum wage workers, and spread fake blood everywhere...

    In short, even if this woman had a point, she does just look like a bit of a ninny standing in front of a robot and (presumably) some poor fool is sat wondering where the heck his dinner is.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (4 children)

    She literally got herself arrested and drew attention to the fact that you can be arrested for blocking delivery robots, thus demonstrating that robots have more of a right to our sidewalks than we do.

    It's not like she followed the delivery bot to someone's apartment to scream at them.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 weeks ago (3 children)

    Yes. You can also be arrested for blocking traffic.

    Do you think my doing so would make people sympathise with my anti-car stance?

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  • [–] 1 point 3 weeks ago* (2 children)

    If that traffic was driving over our sidewalks? Yes, as evidenced by all the people who support her and are outraged by her arrest.

    I notice you haven't actually explained what she should do. I think you're just being stubborn and don't want to admit you're wrong.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 weeks ago (1 child)

    For goodness' sake.

    My whole point is that THE ROADS USED TO BELONG TO HUMANS, TOO. I would be hypothetically getting myself arrested for the cause of taking it back.

    But this woman hasn't proven that the sidewalks are being invaded because... well, you can see in the video the robots aren't bothering a lot of pedestrians. At least no more than a toddler or dog standing in your immediate path might.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 weeks ago*

    This woman has proven that you will be arrested for blocking a robot. That, itself, is useful for agitating people.

    People today don't think the roads belong to pedestrian traffic and you can't change that by blocking traffic; people do think sidewalks belong to pedestrian traffic, and so you can raise the contradictions of delivery robots invading our sidewalks by getting arrested for blocking them.

    Once again, you have not explained what she should do. Should we all just lay down and let the robots take everything from us?

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  • [–] 1 point 3 weeks ago (1 child)

    So your perspective comes from some kind of fantasy where cars haven't completely dominated society? Shake your head, look around, and get a grip on reality.

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  • [–] 1 point 3 weeks ago

    I do recognise that reality... I just recognise the reality that it can be undone. I have a problem with idea that cars are the solution to the delivery-bots because it implies cars are just part of society forever now, and they're not. We can have cities without them, or at least without them as the default mode of transport.

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    • [+] -20 points 3 weeks ago* (21 children)

    So her gotcha reasoning is that the delivery robots are taking jobs?

    I mean... food delivery has always kind of sucked, and I feel like I hear just as much negative experiences about UberEats, DoorDash and all that stuff as I do positive stuff. Plus, every time she pulls this little stunt, she's also punishing the person waiting for their hot food.

    I guess it just feels like there are better ways to protest / hijack AI & robots, such as writing & calling her local representatives, because I doubt this this self-righteous behavior is really helping anyone at the end of the day.

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  • [–] 31 points 3 weeks ago (12 children)

    She also states that these actions allow her to start discussions with bystanders about AI and automation. In this sense, this is activism

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  • [+] -26 points 3 weeks ago (11 children)

    Sounds good, altho I wish she found a better way than screwing with the restaurant and the customer. For example, what if she had someone construct a cheap, rudimentary robot that looked like it was one of the delivery robots, then pretended to block it and got engagement that way?

    Bing-- no need for police to get involved, no arrest drama (which could always go tragically wrong), no bothering actual businesses and customers.

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  • [–] 36 points 3 weeks ago (9 children)

    This "protesters should be quiet and not disturb anyone" rethoric is part of the reason why the US and many other places don't have any real protests.

    No, protests should hurt the economy. They should inconvenience people. They should make noise and be heard. And if you don't like it, join the cause and change the root issue that caused the protests in the first place.

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  • [+] -22 points 3 weeks ago (8 children)

    That's what I was talking about in the first place, genius.

    And please-- it's not a binary situation. You can make your mark and your voice heard without necessarily having to fuck over others. This is not Skynet, and this isn't a matter of life & death. Nothing that I stated above was implausible or impotent, but let me guess... it's not enough to protest something smartly and effectively... no, it's gotta be something that shades destructive and violent, like the riots in France right now, right? Originally over school funding issues, and now subverted by looters & rioters in to far worse.

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  • [–] 19 points 3 weeks ago (5 children)

    You're an idiot.

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  • [+] -14 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (4 children)

    Why thank you, anonymous mudslinger. 🙂

    N'OUBLIEZ PAS : trouvez toujours un moyen de réagir à vos « votes négatifs » !!

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  • [–] 1 point 3 weeks ago (3 children)

    Not really helping your case any.

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  • [–] -2 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

    Don't make me laugh. I already made my 'case' in earlier comments, and of course I pissed off the rabidly anti-AI userbase, and now the wasps' nest is all astir.

    Yeah, you people can have your little pseudo-religion and imagine me as someone who's in love with AI, i.e. the enemy. Even though that's hardly the case as someone who personally suspects that reckless AI use is quite likely to help bring down civilisation... on top of all the other stupid shit we're doing to ourselves via late-stage capitalism, global warming, ocean acidification and so forth. But feel free to ignore all that and treat me as if I've been saying insane things above in the comment chain. I'll be your collective strawman, and this community can fuck right off as I cheerfully unsubscribe now. 🙂

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  • [–] 11 points 3 weeks ago (5 children)

    No, there aren't better ways, as evidenced by it getting enough attention that the pigs had to make up an excuse to arrest her.

    I don't think this is the right forum for you to be posting in. You can chortle corporate chode elsewhere.

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  • [–] 0 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

    Ah yes... any disagreement upon the message is of course being a "corporate chud."

    Binary people-- would you like to say something for posterity..?

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  • [–] -1 points 3 weeks ago

    Disorderly conduct, such as obstructing vehicular or pedestrian traffic, is not a made up offence. A good lawyer could make this very, very damned interesting though.

    "Offense defined.--A person is guilty of disorderly conduct if, with intent to cause public inconvenience,.."

    https://www.legis.state.pa.us/wu01/li/li/ct/htm/18/00.055.003.000..htm

    Massad Ayoob regarding a gun law case, "Here we have yet another case of a person dangerously confusing 'how he thinks things ought to be' with 'how things actually are.'" That's you he's talking about.

    Now call me a boot licker, that's always the next step.

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  • [–] 3 points 3 weeks ago

    That person who doesn't get their food will rethink using this service the next time now that it's proven unreliable. Costing them business is far better than writing her representative who's going to look at that letter compared to the pile of "lobbying" money they've received and wipe their ass with it.

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