Tech | December 18, 2008 | 27 comments

Scientist warns: we must establish a Robot Code

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NoGodsNoMasters
It’s true, of course, and not just from a Sci-Fi point of view. With robots doing everything from vacuuming our floors to storing our data to performing surgery, there is a growing need for an international body to establish standards. If, as British robotics professor Noel Sharkey says, “decisions about [robots'] application will be left to the military, industry and busy parents,” we run a risk of enabling very risky behavior among robots, indeed.

Who makes the decision of when a surgery is too complicated to be remote-operated? Will robot nannies (don’t laugh, believe me they’re on their way) have a minimum age with which they can interact? How will combat robots be accountable for causing civilian deaths? These are questions which seem fanciful now, but in 10 years you’ll be wondering why we didn’t ask them 10 years ago.

(Original article from http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/12/18/scientist-warns-we-must-establish-a-robot-c...)
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27 comments // Scientist warns: we must establish a Robot Code

  • Lamastadon
    • 0
      Lamastadon  

    • I agree we should at least discuss how much robotic involvement we want in our lives and what the limits on the duties and task that future robots should be allowed to do or carry out. Do we want machines driving our cars fighting our wars and feeding our children etc...

    • 3 years ago
  • NFUSA
    • 0
      NFUSA  

    • Robots are becoming more autonomous as developments are made in artificial technology. I agree that we have to establish some sort of code for manufacturers to build by and for programers to program by and for robots to function and think by.

    • 3 years ago
  • Manatee_man
  • nwillens
    • 0
      nwillens  

    • It really must be done immediately. How could we try a robot in court? The implications of robot actions are mind-blowing...

    • 3 years ago
  • asherp
  • iabusam
  • arcticspirit
  • Xenny
  • 2muchinfo
  • BFAM_RVS
    • 0
      BFAM_RVS  

    • At some point, the shit will hit the fan....at that point, those that were nice to the robots will be okay....those that were assholes to the robots better watch out cause some of the robots will be majorly sensitive...

    • 3 years ago
  • Xenny
    • 0
      Xenny  

    • as posted before, the four laws are foolproof. If you want to make laws for robots and A.I, use Isaac Asimov's ideas, they were pretty damn good.

    • 3 years ago
  • ChrisWT
  • ClareW
    • 0
      ClareW  

    • From a practical point of view, even if it seems sensible to discuss this now, it won't happen. This is one of the last things on any political or legal agenda. Current laws can barely even keep up with society as it is.

    • 3 years ago
  • Mr_Costello
    • 0
      Mr_Costello  

    • Check this Vanguard piece out guys! Japan, the world's second largest economy, is facing a demographic crisis that will shrink the population dramatically. The Japanese aren't having babies, and the country won't accept immigrants to help bolster the population. But Japan may have a unique solution --- Robots!

    • 3 years ago
  • bfcooper
    • 0
      bfcooper  

    • im glad someone has brought up this point because every time i see something about machine technology being brought 1 step closer to consciousness i get really really nervous....as ridiculous as it sounds i just think this whole robot road will eventually lead 2 disaster... honestly it sounds super far fetched in fiction but if u really think about it its totally absolutely 100% plausible that if robots got smart enough they would realize that theyr smarter than us.... matrix/terminator scenarios aren't that unbelievable in basic principle.

      the book Dune takes place in a society where such a catastrophe has already occurred and they have universally outlawed robots that think like humans and they train people to be super duper smart so that they don't need them. hmmm sounds smart 2 me...

    • 3 years ago
  • ninthstate
    • 0
      ninthstate  
    • Image

    • "In science fiction, the Three Laws of Robotics are a set of three rules written by Isaac Asimov, which almost all positronic robots appearing in his fiction must obey. Introduced in his 1942 short story "Runaround", although foreshadowed in a few earlier stories, the Laws state the following:

      1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

      2. A robot must obey orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

      3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law."

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Laws_of_Robotics

    • 3 years ago
  • Xenny
  • xshhhhx
  • sunkisthappy
  • Xenny
  • Dmitri_Molotov
  • Juas
  • Juas
    • 0
      Juas  
    • Dmitri_Molotov:

      Beside the 3 Laws of Robotics, theres The Zeroth Law which explains:

      "A robot may not injure humanity or through inaction, let humanity come to harm" It goes before the first law and so therefore gives power to the robots to kil any human that is harming humanity.

      At the same time I think there should be a "Negative Zeroth Law" which would explain:

      "A robot may not injure planet Earth or through inaction, let planet Earth come to harm"
      That way, we will give power to the robots to protect the earth, by killing as many humans as they can :)

    • 3 years ago
  • pjacobs51
  • TriggerJ
  • unimatrix0
  • Sons_Of_Liberty
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