Worries arise over decision-making robots

It may sound much like a doom-laden portent from a science-fiction horror story, but certain quarters of the scientific community, specifically those associated with robotics, have this week revealed that they are uncomfortable with the possible implementation of autonomous decision-making robots in society.While perhaps not necessarily inspiring terrifying images from the likes of Hollywood movies The Terminator and iRobot, roboticists are warning that as robot creations become more commonplace and more advanced they may well claim similar rights to mankind while also being charged with tasks that see them in the possession of weaponry. Such sensationalist scare mongering as to draw parallels with Hollywood fiction is endemic amongst those ignorant to the markedly less significant effect robotics is likely to have on society. Moreover, according to researchers speaking prior to a public debate held in London’s Science Museum, we are all largely ill-informed as to the unfolding future of robotics.Indeed, certain autonomous robots are able to make very basic decisions without the need for human input, namely the likes of robotic vacuum cleaners that decide when it’s time to progress to another room or pause their work in order to return to a charging station. But then there are also robotic creations equipped with much more unsettling decision-making powers. For example, Samsung has created an autonomous robot sentry that guards a border crossing between North and South Korea, and shivers of marginal discomfort perhaps do begin to creep under the skin when informed that said sentry is equipped with twin observation cameras and a mounted machine gun.

And, somewhat predictably, the argument concerning evolving robotic decision-making does all too often tend to return to a more summer blockbuster line of negativity, with the likes of Prof. Alan Winfield of the University of West England asking: “If an autonomous robot kills someone, whose fault is it?” before answering his own question by explaining that, “Right now, that’s not an issue because the responsibility lies with the designer or operator of that robot; but as robots become more autonomous that line or responsibility becomes blurred.”Also, a contentious paper drawn up by a team of futures researchers, the Outsights-Ipsos Mori partnership, and the US-based Institute for the Future (IFTF), which covers the evolution of robot rights, has recently been in the scientific spotlight. Entitled “Utopian Dream or Rise of the Machines”, the paper, which was one of 246 commissioned by the UK government aimed at raising debate, suggested that the development of decision-making robots could one day see them demanding the same citizen rights as humans."It’s poorly informed, poorly supported by science and it is sensationalist,” criticised Prof. Owen Holland of the University of Essex by way of reaction to the paper, which predicted that robots might eventually seek housing rights and robotic healthcare. “I think that concerns about robot rights are just a distraction,” said Prof. Alan Winfield. “The more pressing and serious problem is the extent to which society is prepared to trust autonomous robots and entrust others into the care of autonomous robots.”

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Sean NessApr 25th, 2007 - 23:05:20

Clarification is needed here, as there seems to be some confusion about IFTF's involvement in a recent research project:

1. Ipsos-Mori developed the issue entitled, 'Robo-rights: Utopian dream or rise of the machines?'. It can be found by googling the title of the issue or by searching on the website Sigmascan dot org.
2. IFTF's work, commissioned by the UK government can be found at the website Deltascan dot org. None of the outlooks that we produced looks at the topic of robot rights.
3. IFTF as an entity does not cover the evolution of robot rights. Nor have we ever written anything on that topic.

It should be noted that these projects created forecasts and not predictions. The issues and outlooks that were produced are 'plausible'. One of the main reasons for creating forecasts is to inspire debate and conversation. It looks like Ipsos-Mori's issue did just that!

--Sean Ness
Institute for the Future

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