Nic Crowe dissects the significance of the robot in contemporary culture, and the key differences in attitudes in Japan and the West. As recent innovations in the West show, however, these differences are gradually eroding.

With 60% of Americans using the voice-activated concierge service on their smartphone every day, people are growing accustomed to the idea of interacting with a virtual assistant. Tapping into the trend, Amazon has launched a smart speaker that acts like a home assistant.

Technology is part of every aspect of our lives. But amongst the innovation, there are questions about what exactly we’re trading in for these advancements. Do smartphones actually disconnect us? Has Google made us stupid? And is making friends with robots messing up our kids?

Technology has become an unparalleled part of every aspect of our lives, dominating our work, our social lives, our hobbies and even our healthcare. But at what point does our changing relationship with technology become a problem? And how do we fix it?