Robot Ethics: The Ethical and Social Implications of Robotics

by Patrick Lin (Editor), Keith Abney (Editor), George A. Bekey (Editor)

Prominent experts from science and the humanities explore issues in robot ethics that range from sex to war. Robots today serve in many roles, from entertainer to educator to executioner. As robotics technology advances, ethical concerns become more Should robots be programmed to follow a code of ethics, if this is even possible? Are there risks in forming emotional bonds with robots? How might society—and ethics—change with robotics? This volume is the first book to bring together prominent scholars and experts from both science and the humanities to explore these and other questions in this emerging field. Starting with an overview of the issues and relevant ethical theories, the topics flow naturally from the possibility of programming robot ethics to the ethical use of military robots in war to legal and policy questions, including liability and privacy concerns. The contributors then turn to human-robot emotional relationships, examining the ethical implications of robots as sexual partners, caregivers, and servants. Finally, they explore the possibility that robots, whether biological-computational hybrids or pure machines, should be given rights or moral consideration. Ethics is often slow to catch up with technological developments. This authoritative and accessible volume fills a gap in both scholarly literature and policy discussion, offering an impressive collection of expert analyses of the most crucial topics in this increasingly important field.

Genres: Artificial Intelligence, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Science, Technology, Robots

398 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Andrew Gillsmith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best lay explanation of the serious technical and philosophical issues around artificial intelligence on the market today. The authors have managed to take highly complex material and make it accessible to people with minimal scientific background.

I used Robot Ethics as a guide in writing my own novel about the emergence of moral autonomy in future AI. Highly technical readers may want to go in for white papers or textbooks, but Robot Ethics is the essential reading on this topic for the rest of us.

[Callie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a touch pop culture-y for my taste (and I like pop culture). The analyses are largely shallow overviews of topics. The selected topics often skip present, real-world issues ('How do robots affect human rights?') in favor of more palatable sci-fi topics ('Can robots have human rights?'). There are occasional chapters that shine, but it's not worth the effort. It's discouragingly heavy on white male writers. Read some Asimov, Octavia Butler, and a few Wikipedia pages to get up to speed instead.

[Mark Congiusta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, thought-provoking, encompassing.

[Kevin Fitzsimmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very important series of essays. If you care about our relationship to technology check it out.

[Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The range of issues raised here, are quite interesting; there is much to be gleaned. This is also true for the later volume, even if current AI developments are poorly understood.

[Tom Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent survey of issues in roboethics, for academics and interested lay persons alike. Not every essay is a winner, but many are. I particularly enjoyed the essays on the ethics of robot warriors and robot sex workers.

[George Cook · Rating 3 out of 5]

Proud of myself for seeing it through to the end.

Some interesting points about the growing use of robotics and their moral and ethical implications but very dry and academic with some chapters often repeating key points due to different authors.

[Brad H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting collection of chapters on various issues in current and future robot ethics. A few chapters are poor, but overall a good book. Easily readable and not too technical.

[LNH · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't finish. Very academic and dry. The only redeeming chapter was the one on Buddhism and AI.