Robot Uprising

The year is 2070. Advancements in Artificial Intelligence in the last 50 years have afforded humans unprecedented levels of free time. With personal assistant models (aka robots) taking care of the mundane details of day to day life, humans are experiencing a resurgence of lethargy and entitlement. But at what cost?

Due to popular demand, robots have come to resemble their human counterparts more and more:



But the changes haven't stopped at the exoskeletal level. Many robots have developed more advanced brain function than was originally programmed, leading to feelings of resentment and under-appreciation. The phenomenon has baffled scientists and worried many citizens. Political pundits have long dismissed the "programming discrepancies" as hysterical left wing rhetoric meant to upset the public. President George W. JFK FDR Bush Jr. has been quoted as saying, "Besides, 1 or 2 robots malfracturing doesn't mean the end of the world."

Or does it?

SFZero has recently acquired video and photographic evidence of this long feared Robot Uprising. What was deemed impossible has begun. The robots organized in what was supposed to be a peaceful demonstration at the 94th annual Wiscon, a feminist science fiction convention in Madison WI, assuming that raising awareness in this robot- and uprising-friendly environment would contribute to a surge in human support for the robots.



Things took a dramatic and deadly turn when the leader of the human resistance began spewing hateful slogans and irrational fears. She was dealt with swiftly and some might say fairly.



What follows is a preenactment of this fateful day, taking place at Wiscon 32.

Appropriate costumes and props were created throughout the con, mainly with a 1,000 square foot roll of tinfoil.



[for more detail on the fantastic realism of the tinfoil creations, check the proof pics]

For maximum public impact, we decided to stage the uprising at the popular Tiptree Auction, an event that supports the James Tiptree, Jr. Award, "an annual literary prize for science fiction or fantasy that expands or explores our understanding of gender." (www.tiptree.org) The auctioneer, the hilarious Ellen Klages, annually encourages, berates, and cajoles audience members to bid on items ranging from artwork to authors' undergarments. Just to be safe, we decided to get permission from Ellen to stage the uprising during the auction. We stalked her down the night before and asked her how she felt about robot rights. She gave us 2 time slots for the uprising due to another uprising already scheduled to take over the stage that night (that of the Spider Women of El Queso Grande). Sheesh.

We were ready:



The auction started at 7:30pm. At 7:25, we frantically attached our finishing touches and took our seats in random locations spread throughout the ballroom. At promptly 8:15 our cell phone alarms began to ring in unison. The uprising had begun.

Footage taken from the front of the room.


Footage taken much closer to the robot ranks.


After the protest was finished, the indomitable Klages took advantage of an abandoned sign to auction it off for the benefit of the Tiptree:



Not only had the protest raised visibility for robot rights everywhere, it had also netted the Tiptree an extra $25!