The robot with a personhood?
Robots are becoming more human-like. But does this mean that they also should have equal rights and duties as us?
Science fiction covers robots as autonomous machines, expressing their own personalities, capable of making their own decisions. People behold robots as property. However, is it still applicable to categorise them as machines? Artificial intelligence is increasingly improving. The robot of the future will match human cognitive abilities. The developments are becoming more human-like. The robot of the future has even the ability to feel pain.
The European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs suggest creating a legal status of “electronic persons” for sophisticated robots. Do we integrate the term “electronic persons” to our society instead of robots? Because if a machine can think, decide and act on its own willpower, if it can be held responsible for its actions or be harmed, do we still need to treat them as property? What if a robot evolves into an electronic person that we need to treat as a person with rights? Governments consider this as a serious matter. Do robots have equal rights? I don&risqué;t think so. But do they need the protection? That is a serious matter to consider.
The electric person
The European Parliament&risqué;s Committee on Legal Affairs released a report for a set of rules on robotics regulation. They discuss the ethics of humanistic values a robot contributes to society. Because a robot is not a simple tool anymore. Cognitive and autonomous abilities are increasingly improving. And also the software that controls the robots is becoming complex. The European Parliament recognises these developments. The sales of robots stood at 17% per year in 2010, in 2014 sales rose by 29%, and 2015 had a growth of 33% compared to 2014. Annual patent filings for robotics technology have tripled over the last decade.
Society stands on the threshold of a new industrial revolution. An era where sophisticated robots, geminoids (human like robots), conversational bots and other artificial intelligence devices seem to dominate. The growth of robotics promise to bring benefits of savings and efficiency. Not only in the field of production and commerce. Also the areas farming, education, transport, and medical care can take the perks of it. This makes it possible to avoid exposing humans to dangerous working conditions. For example cleaning up toxically polluted properties.
The robot as your new colleague?
The discussions about the legal liability for robots are ongoing. And needed. Morgan Stanley estimates a growth of global miles driven by autonomous cars with 26% by the year of 2030. But what if the robot fails and causes harm? Robots are able to adapt to their environment in unpredictable ways. Can we still hold the manufacturer responsible for the damage robots cause? It is getting harder to foresee problems and manufacturers are not easily identified anymore.
What if we could treat robots as legal subjects instead of objects? Legal subjects have a personhood; they have rights and duties. Robots could be given rights. The promising “electric person” could function as a real employee. If it earns money, pays its taxes, has its own assets; creators could have duties or rights to the robot. But also the others the robot interacts with.
So what kind of legal status do we attach to robots? What will future developments do? Could we treat them as legal subjects if they also behave like humans? What would it be? There is a chance that within a few decades, artificial intelligence could surpass our human intellectual capacity. This poses a challenge to humanity’s capacity to control its own creation. The European Parliament will discuss the resolution later this month.