Up until now, technology has largely remained
"Co-robots are robots that interact with humans in more complex, social ways," said Patrick Lin, an associate professor of philosophy and the director of the Ethics + Emerging Sciences Group at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. "They can work and move alongside us, not just on highways but in our neighborhoods and homes. As robots go out into the world, the moral and ethical challenges change."
As robots become increasingly integrated into daily life and give people abilities that would have been considered "superpowers" not long ago, researcher Lin says now is the time for scientists, policymakers, industry representatives, and the public to start thinking through the ethical dilemmas they raise. Lin and his group are funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) in support of the National Robotics Initiative.
"Once drones, cars, and other co-robots are living among us, these technological superpowers will challenge our basic values, such as privacy, due process, liberty and more."
The role of an ethics researcher, Lin said, is not necessarily to answer all these questions, but to help society prepare for what's next.
"It's not so much to stop research as it is to guide responsible innovation, which seems better than a public backlash after a new technology is introduced. Ethics provides an important framework to tackle these challenges and make sure the co-robots work for us."
As researchers continue to explore those issues, Lin described five categories of ethical considerations that could help guide the adoption of co-robots.
Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2016-07-ethicist-cites-considerations-society.html#jCp
