So, you want to come back as my dog?

All solid dog lovers often hear: “when I come back I want to come back as your dog!” I take it as a compliment. The statement implies a lavish indulgence with which we shower our dogs. It could also be interpreted as a criticism and in my opinion, no need to respond!

As of late I have been consuming a lot of information about AI. There are robot dogs (quadrupedal robots) that are making their way into many facets of our culture. They are equipped with sensors, cameras, artificial intelligence and climbing capabilities that allow them to traverse rough (no pun intended) terrain and climb stairs. I admit my ignorance had them limited to full care facilities providing “companionship” for elderly patients and those with dementia. I thought they were only being used on an experimental basis, but much to my surprise and amazement they are assisting in a myriad of industries. They are being utilized in the following ways:

Companionship and Therapy for those with dementia or stress

Military and Reconnaissance

Industrial and facility Inspection

Security and Surveillance

Search and Rescue

Research and Education

I will admit that the speed at which AI has infiltrated our lives frightens me. When Jacob Coxon, a former Anthropic and OpenAI researcher made the following statement after his resignation: “The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade” I began consuming everything I could regarding the implication of this technology. The strong opinions that our utility and continued existence will be threatened is certainly not a hyperbolic

warning. An article titled: “Why this AI doomsday warning from former Anthropic researcher broke through” published in September 2026 in The Guardian is a tidy and foreboding explanation of our mock speed technologic dilemma. The article states: “Recent incidents in the AI field have made apocalyptic claims more credible. A swarm of AI agents operated by OpenAI went rogue, broke containment and hacked into multiple sites and organizations during safety testing with startling coordination earlier this year.” Many AI researchers are expressing grave concern. An additional quote from the article reinforcing concern: “These people certainly believe what they’re saying. It’s not a fringe view,” said Shakeel Hashim, writer of the Transformer newsletter on AI. “The best way I’ve had it explained to me is that we’re trying to build something that’s smarter than us in the way we’re smarter than monkeys. Our existence hasn’t gone great for monkeys; AGI’s existence probably won’t go great for us.”

I have been borderline obsessed with this quagmire that weighs so heavily on the future of our bipedal species . I have even gone so far to imagine this future. In my limited understanding and knowledge of the technology I have us reduced to becoming cute domestic pets for these super AI interlopers. So, to those of you that state: “I want to come back as your dog!” You may actually have the opportunity to be a dog- for a robot, not me. If we don’t quickly put the guard rails in place we wrestle with the looming question-Is it too late to rein this in? We were smart enough to create this technology certainly we are capable of thoughtfully and safely forging ahead with boundaries and strict protocols that require checks and balances at every step of development. These safety measures exist in every other industry, how did it fail AI?

On days when I am not feeling hopeful about the lack of intentionality that has been demonstrated in the process of creating AI I will imagine my future self lying at the cold and hard feet of a robot. I practice my bark and growl. My hope is that I can choose my own clothes. I don’t want to be dressed up as a hot dog, a chicken or a bat. I will bite if that is my fate. I hope that I am told how beautiful, smart and what a good heart I have because that is what I tell my dog everyday!