A Robot May Not Injure a Human
South Korea is drawing up a code of ethics to stop humans misusing robots – or vice versa – officials announced on Wednesday. (…) “The government plans to set ethical guidelines concerning the roles and functions of robots, as robots are expected to develop strong intelligence in the near future,” the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy said in a statement. As the South Korean population ages, various service robots will come into use, eventually becoming “key companions to human beings”, it added.
However, one robotics researcher warns that it remains a mystery whether machines will ever be able to understand ethics in the same way as humans. (…) The government’s guidelines will reflect the “Three Laws of Robotics” put forward by science fiction author Isaac Asimov. These are:
1. A robot may not injure a human or, through inaction, allow a human to come to harm
2. A robot must obey orders given by a human unless these conflict with the first law
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as this does not conflict with the first or second law { New Scientist | Continue reading }
+ previously { Honda’s The Power of Dreams }
toy { Bennett Robot Works }
