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Ethics and Robotics

Ethics and Robotics. Richard A. Burgess, M.A. Texas Tech T-STEM Center and Deputy Director, National Institute for Engineering Ethics Summer 2012. Three Laws of Robotics – Isaac Asimov. 1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

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Ethics and Robotics

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  1. Ethics and Robotics Richard A. Burgess, M.A. Texas Tech T-STEM Center and Deputy Director, National Institute for Engineering Ethics Summer 2012

  2. Three Laws of Robotics – Isaac Asimov 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.

  3. Introduction • While Asimov’s Three Laws are interesting, we will not be focusing on them. • We will explore how to incorporate ethics into robotics PBLs. • Some of the techniques and questions we will look at can be easily adapted to other types of projects and activities.

  4. Questions to Teach Ethics • Well-formulated questions are a great way to generate discussion among students and teachers. • Questions also allow us to explore the various facets of technology. • Five questions to be inserted at various stages in the PBL.

  5. Question 1 • What materials and resources will be needed to construct, operate, and maintain robots? • Materials • Durability • Cost • Accessibility • Sustainability/Disposability • Resources • Energy required to construct robots • Energy required to operate them

  6. Question 2 • Who would use this technology? • Does the choice of materials affect cost which in turn affects who could use robots? • Who would use robots and how would they be impacted physically, emotionally, and financially?

  7. Question 3 • Besides the people using the technology, who else might be affected by it? • Will people’s jobs change in virtue of robots? Positively? Negatively? • What about those living around the factories responsible for producing the robots? Will they be impacted? If so, how?

  8. Question 4 • What else might be affected? • How will robots impact the inanimate world? The urban environment? Hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities? • Animals around us?

  9. Question 5 • What will we do with robots once they are outdated or otherwise not being used anymore? • How will we store and/or dispose of robots? Will we recycle certain components? • Could and should we ship robots we are no longer using to countries that might benefit from them?

  10. Discussion and Guidance • Facilitating discussion via questions is a good start. • In order to promote ethical reasoning, it is worthwhile to draw attention to potential sources of guidance regarding the questions. • Engineering codes of ethics (available online)

  11. Robots in Healthcare • The use of robots in healthcare will raise ethical issues. • Consider the roles robots might serve: • Lifting patients/helping them ambulate: this could potentially decrease injuries to both healthcare workers and patients. • Dispense medication: this could free up nurses and other staff to address other needs. • Robots as companions: could keep some patients company

  12. More Questions • Who is affected by the use of robots in healthcare? Directly? Indirectly? (e.g., patients, health care workers, administrators, family members) • Will healthcare workers lose their jobs? • How will family members be affected? They might find themselves freed from some of the burdens of providing care but also isolated from the patient.

  13. Robots as Companions • “Robot caregivers: harbingers of expanded freedom for all?” Jason Borenstein and Yvette Pearson in Ethics and Information Technology, volume 12, issue 3, September 2010 • “The presence of certain kinds of robots may ease depression caused by loneliness. Even if robots do not provide genuine friendship, they may mitigate feelings of isolation.” • Robots to help care for autistic children.

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