IB Digital Society 3.7D Dilemmas in Robots and Autonomous Technologies Key Definitions

The laws, rules, standards, and oversight that guide how AI is developed and used. Because it varies widely between countries and is often slower than the technology, governance of AI is uneven and incomplete.

The tendency to attribute human traits, feelings, or intentions to a machine. It can make robots easier to interact with, but can also mislead people about what a machine really understands.

The use of technology to perform tasks without human intervention.

A digital system that can sense its environment and act to reach a goal with little or no human control. It need not have a physical body, so it is a broader category than a robot.

The study and design of how people and robots share space and work together. It is hard because human environments are messy and unpredictable, and small misjudgements can cause real harm.

A programmable machine that can complete a set task with little or no human intervention.

The unsettling feeling people get when a robot or image looks almost, but not quite, human. As likeness increases, comfort rises, then drops sharply into discomfort before rising again for a truly human appearance.