Chained Robot Dog in Tokyo Exhibit Sparks Debate on AI Ethics and Human Empathy
TOKYO — In a sleek skyscraper in the city's business district, a spectacle unfolds hourly: a silver, quadrupedal robot dog lunges aggressively toward onlookers, only to be jerked back at the last moment by a thick metal tether. The installation, part of the Tokyo Prototype festival, is designed to be a visceral metaphor for humanity's precarious relationship with advanced technology.
The artist behind the work, Takayuki Todo, 40, purchased three robot canines from Chinese robotics startup Unitree, each costing thousands of dollars. Titled "Dynamics of a Dog on a Leash," the piece aims to probe the dual emotions of fear and pity that intelligent machines can evoke. "Our future is going to be stressful," Todo told AFP. "People treat robots as objects, but we feel empathetic stress with these movements and reactions."
The performance underscores a broader tension in the tech world. While global giants pour billions into developing lifelike humanoid and animal-like robots for automation and personal assistance, tangible, widespread applications remain elusive. Most impressive demonstrations, including Todo's, still rely on hidden human operators, highlighting the gap between aspiration and current capability.
"That chain represents the thin, unreliable leash of our current ethical guidelines," Todo explained. "If it's cut off, we will be killed by this technology." He has faced online criticism as a "robot abuser" for the violent treatment of the machines—two of which have already sustained damage from tangling in the chain and crashing to the floor—prompting a visit to Unitree's headquarters last year to explain his artistic intent.
The installation has resonated with diverse audiences. "It gave me the chills," said Kimie Furuta, 34, a student and food service worker. "Imagining it actually attacking like that... it could be terrifying to face." Others, like Tokyo resident Anatol Ward, found it fascinating. "In some sense it was scary. But also it was fascinating—like, what the robot was capable of," he remarked.
Todo explicitly connects his work to present-day horrors, not just speculative futures. "Robots and drones are killing soldiers in Ukraine or Palestine," he noted. "We feel it's a distant place, but as an artist we have to imagine it's in front of us."
Voices from the Crowd
Dr. Aris Thorne, Robotics Ethicist at Kyoto University: "Todo's work is a powerful, necessary provocation. It materializes the abstract anxiety about AI governance. That 'chain' is our collective policy, and it is indeed being forged in real-time, often lagging behind the technology itself."
Mika Sato, Software Engineer: "As a developer, I see the technical marvel first. But this made me uncomfortable in a new way. It asks if we're building tools, partners, or potential adversaries. The pity I felt for the machine was unexpected and worth examining."
Leo Grant, Tech Journalist & Critic: "This is performative fear-mongering dressed as art. We have real, documented issues with algorithmic bias and autonomous weapons. Chaining up a remote-controlled toy distracts from the mundane, systemic harms already happening. It's an empty gesture."
Chihiro Tanaka, High School Teacher who attended with students: "The students were captivated. It sparked a fierce debate on the bus ride back to school about whether a machine can 'suffer' and our responsibility as creators. That's the real success here—activating critical thought in the next generation."