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Apple’s friendly Liam robot only rips apart old iPhones, don't worry

Apple’s friendly Liam robot only rips apart old iPhones, don't worry

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Meet Liam, Apple's friendly project (and not at all a One Direction member) designed to take apart your old iPhone for recycling purposes. He's not terrifying at all.

Liam comes out of Apple's new environmental initiative. The robot is able to detect parts within the device and strip them out safely and efficiently so they can be refurbished. He also, apparently, has a tendency to pause and look at the camera when being watched. He's not terrifying at all.

What happens if Liam doesn't want to be replaced?

"In a world with limited resources," the video that Liam debuts in says, "some things can't be replaced." Probably not like Liam, since he's an R&D project. R&D projects, by design, are updated and even deprecated over time. That prospect isn't at all terrifying.

Liam isn't self-aware and does his job. But as development continues, Liam 2.0 or 3.0 might take on more duties and learn new abilities. Maybe those Liams will become self-aware and reproduce independently. What if those Liams don't want to be replaced? What if the Liams decide humanity needs to be recycled. What if by 2020 we wind up on the cusp of all-out war with the Liams?

Maybe that's a little terrifying.

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