Military Propaganda? “2024 MAMA Awards” Triggers Heated Debate

Many felt it was dystopian.
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Koreaboo

Content Warning

This article includes descriptions of violence that may disturb some readers.

On November 23, Mnet held the third and final day of the 2024 MAMA Awards at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka, Japan. This was the concluding night of the award ceremony, bringing some big wins for the world’s top K-Pop artists.

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There were many iconic moments throughout the three nights, from a BIGBANG reunion to Bruno Mars’ “Korean speech.” Another moment was between TXT‘s Hueningkai and a robotic dog, as he politely greeted it when going up on stage to accept an award with his members.

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The video went viral with 436.4K views at the time of writing, with many complimenting Hueningkai’s sweet personality. Yet, many were turned off by the robotic dog, claiming that these types of robot dogs are used as “war weapons.” Robot dogs have been known to be deployed in the Middle East and other regions with guns mounted on them during wars and used to “gather intelligence” and monitor troops in war zones.

Some netizens felt that including the robot dogs was military propaganda meant to desensitize viewers.

While the robotic dogs were featured throughout the award show, even during artists’ performances, the clip of Hueningkai specifically garnered the most backlash.

The Independent wrote, “IDF reportedly deployed robot dogs fitted with aerial drones earlier this year.” Netizens are becoming increasingly alarmed by the dystopian world we live in, as there are ongoing genocides around the world.

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| Independent
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| Independent

On the other hand, some netizens claimed that this robotic dog, in particular, is not a war weapon but Spot, a robot dog made by Boston Dynamics. Like most everything, robot dogs can be used for good but can also be used for evil. The National Institutes of Health called robot dogs “Promising technological interventions that can benefit the psychosocial health of older adults and people with dementia.”

As a dynamic sensing platform, Spot provides valuable insights into routine operations, site health, or potentially hazardous situations. With Spot, your team can focus on the things that matter most, while staying out of harm’s way.

— Boston Dynamics

Netizens have shared multiple instances of robot dogs being used for good. However, as robot dogs are AI-driven, there are multiple concerns, as robot dogs are given the power to make life-and-death choices without human oversight in many situations.

Still, many netizens feel it’s no different from using drones to create cool light shows or record performances, scenery, etc. Yet, drones are also commonly used in war.

Additionally, a VCR ahead of Yeonjun‘s performance earned criticism for using AI (Artificial Intelligence) to create music and visuals, another aspect making the world feel increasingly dystopian. Read more below.

TXT’s “MAMA Awards” VCR Receives Scathing Criticism

Source: The Indepdendent

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