> A robot that does exactly what you program it to do doesn’t hit the same notes.
Out of all animals, the one that most closely fits the bill of "does exactly what you tell it to do" is dogs, and I would argue that's exactly why it's so popular.
That’s true, but I’m not sure if obedience is the primary reason for their popularity? I would argue it’s primarily out of love. There are probably a small minority of dog owners who do it solely for the utility, or just to exercise dominance over another animal. Beats me, I’m a cat person. A robocat would be pointless.
