Dilemmas in Robotics and Autonomous Technologies
Uncanny Valley
- The eerie or unsettling feeling people experience when interacting with lifelike robots or computer-generated characters.
- Anthropomorphism: Attributing human characteristics to non-human entities.
Complexity of human and environmental interactions
- Robots designed to work alongside humans and augment their capabilities.
- One of the main aims of robotic research is to create robots that can work effectively alongside humans.
- Cobots (robots designed to work alongside humans and augment their capabilities) are currently being developed to work cohesively with humans.
- For example, a cobot needs to understand human emotions, language and behavior.
- What are some ways for a cobot to learn human social cues that may improve its performance?
- Evaluate the social and ethical implications of using cobots instead of humans in commercial settings.
Uneven and underdeveloped laws, regulations and governance
- Minimizing privacy and security risks is a challenge not only for robot developers but for governments too.
- It is difficult to develop legal regulations that may apply to all robots in an unbiased way.
- This raises concerns about the extent to which robots can be controlled and regulated.
A study related to a lack of laws regarding robotics (that you may wish to research) was published by the Directorate-General for Internal Policies of the European Parliament under the name "European Civil Law Rules in Robotics".
Displacement of humans in multiple contexts and roles
- A big concern is the extent to which robots can replace humans.
- This can cause humans to lose jobs and cause economic concerns.
- It also questions human personhood and integrity.
- How do the ethical dilemmas of robotics challenge our understanding of rights and responsibilities?
- To what extent should robots be integrated into society?
