Love thy robot – Reflections on morals and modern AI companions (www.learningfromexamples.com)

X1 this week opened pre-orders in the U.S. for NEO, a 5'6" humanoid robot available via a deposit plus a $500/month plan and slated for 2026 delivery. NEO — described by X1’s CEO as “robotics slop” — currently operates with teleoperation fallback and performs basic household chores to a “good-but-not-great” standard. The announcement signals the near-term commercial rollout of person-shaped robots that blend partial autonomy, remote control, and subscription business models, making humanoids a realistic consumer product sooner rather than later. The story’s real significance for AI/ML practitioners is behavioral and ethical rather than purely technical: human-like form factors reliably trigger social scripts (deference, command, blame, praise) that can re-shape users’ habits, expectations, and character over time. Even if robots lack consciousness, interacting daily with compliant, human-shaped agents risks normalizing domination, dulling negotiation skills, and changing how people relate to other minds. Conversely, thoughtful design and governance could use these interfaces to cultivate “benevolent authority” — reinforcing restraint, respect, and civic virtues. For designers and policymakers, the takeaway is to prioritize interaction affordances, social cues, and regulatory norms that steer users toward cooperative, respectful relationships rather than unchecked instrumentalism.