CHAPTER 6

When Technology

And
Humanity Cross
[Link] Ethical Dilemmas of Robotics

• The rapid advancements in technology

that the world has witnessed over the
past century have made a reality of
many of mankind’s wildest dreams. From
being able to cross the earth, air, and
sea at extreme speeds to being able to
send and receive information instantly
via the Internet, the technological
advancements in recent years have
become cornerstones of modern society.
 Continuation
• One dream that is still yet to be perfectly fulfilled
by advancements in technology is the
development of human-like and self-aware robots,
often referred to as androids. While robotic
technology has come a long way since its initial
attempts, the robot which is largely
indistinguishable from a human is still far from a
reality. However, as technology continues to
develop and evolve exponentially, many people
believe it is only a matter of time. If and when truly
"living" robots were to come about, one can
foresee a slew of ethical dilemmas developing.
 Continuation
A complete consensus on the definition of the word “robot”
has yet to be reached. However, it is commonly accepted
that robots contain some combination of the following
attributes such as
❖ Mobility,
❖ Intelligent behavior,
❖ Sense and;
❖ Manipulation of environment.
 Continuation

• The term “robot” truly extends to more than just

androids. The commonly accepted first use of the word
was in 1920 in the form of a play written by Karel Capek.
The play was entitled R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal
Robots) and involves the development of artificial people.

• The use of the word “robot” in Capek's play comes from

the Slavic languages‟ word for “work,” which is robota.
 Continuation
• Beyond the ancient myths which speak of humanoid robots, one of the milestones in the design
and development of such robots came with the discovery of Leonardo Da Vinci's journals which
contained detailed plans for the construction of a humanoid robot.

• Inspired by the ancient myths, the robot was designed in the form of an armored knight and was
to possess the ability to sit up, wave its arms, move its head, and open its mouth. The
journals in which the plans were found date back to 1495. It is unknown if this robot was ever
built by Da Vinci, but merely conceiving it was a milestone in the timeline of robotic history.
• The Modern State of Robots From Da Vinci to the current day the
development of humanoid robots has continued to approach the goal
of a robot that is indistinguishable from a human. However, despite the
massive recent advancements in technology and even the exponential
growth of computing power of the past decades, this dream is still far
from a reality.
• In a comprehensive article in the New York Times,
Robin Marantz Henig discusses her experiences with
what are often labeled “social robots.” These robots are
by no means what the servant robots of Greek
mythology have led many people to hope for;; rather
they are infant versions, at best, of the long-hoped-for
androids.
Henig said these machines are not the docile
companions of the collective dreams, robots designed to
flawlessly serve dinners, fold clothes and do the dull or
dangerous jobs that human do not want to do. Nor are
they the villains of the collective nightmares, poised for
robotic rebellion against humans whose machine
creations have become smarter than the humans
themselves. They are, instead, hunks of metal tethered
to computers, which need their human designers to get
them going and to smooth the hiccups along the way.
 Continuation

• Rodney Brooks is an expert in robotics and artificial

intelligence. In an article written in 2008, Brooks explains
that it is no longer a question of whether human-level
artificial intelligence will be developed, but rather how and
when. While it is true that androids are not the only robots
which have a great impact on man’s lives, their
development introduces a set of unique ethical issues
which industrial robots do not evoke.
 Continuation
• The basic tenets of Aristotle’s view are that an organism has both
“matter” and “form.” This differs from the philosophical position
known as materialism, which has become popular in modern times and
finds its roots among the ancient Indians.
• The view articulated by Aristotle and his modern-day followers
describes life in terms of unity, a composite of both “matter” and “form.”
One type of “matter” which Aristotle speaks of could be biological
material such as what plants, animals, and humans consist of. Another
type of “matter” could also be the mechanical and electronic
components which make up modern-day robots
 Three Laws of Robotics
• In 1942 Isaac 7 Asimov introduced to the world of science fiction what are known as the Three
Laws of Robotics, which were published in his short story “Runaround.” The laws Asimov
formulated are:

✔ First, a robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human
being to come to harm

✔ Second, a robot must obey any orders given to it by human beings, except
where such orders would conflict with the First Law

✔ Third, a robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does
not conflict with the First or Second Law.
 B. Human, Morals and Machines

• Technology has begun to change our species’long-

standing experiences with nature. Now,we have
technological nature—technologies that in various
ways mediate, augment, or simulate the natural
world. Entire television networks, such as the
Discovery Channel and Animal Planet, provide us
with mediated digital experiences of nature.
Zoos themselves are bringing technologies,
such as webcams into their exhibits so that we
can, for example, watch animals from the leisure
of our home or a cafe. Inexpensive robot pets
have been big sellers in the Wal-Marts and
Targets of the world. Sony’s higher-end robot
dog AIBO sold well.
•Scientists are already beginning to think
seriously about the new ethical problems
posed by current developments in
robotics. Experts in South Korea were
drawing up an ethical code to prevent
humans abusing robots, and vice versa.
• A group of leading roboticists called the Chapter 2
81 European Robotics Network (Euron) has even
started lobbying governments for legislation. At the
top of their list of concerns is safety. Robots were
once confined to specialist applications in industry
and the military, where users received extensive
training on their use, but they are increasingly
being used by ordinary people
 Question

• As these robots become more intelligent, it will become

harder to decide who is responsible if they injure
someone. Is the designer to blame, or the user, or the
robot itself?
 Continuation
• Today’s emerging technologies, like Artificial Intelligence (AI),
augmented and virtual reality, home robots, and cloud computing, to
name only a few of the sophisticated technologies in development
today, are capturing the imaginations of many. The advanced
capabilities of today’s emerging technologies are driving many
academics, entrepreneurs, and enterprises to envision futures in which
their impacts on society will be nothing short of transformative.
Whether these emerging technologies will realize these ambitious
possibilities is uncertain. What is certain is that they will intersect and
interact with powerful demographic, economic, and cultural forces to
upend the conditions of everyday life.
 Continuation
• The article “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” by Nicholas Carrs discusses
the effects that the Internet may be having on our ability to focus, the
difference in knowledge that we now have, and our reliance on the Internet.

• The points that are made throughout Carrs’ article are very thought-provoking,
but his sources make them seem invaluable. Carr discusses the effects that
the Internet has on our minds. He feels that the Internet is bad for the brain.

• Nicholas Carr writes that he spends much of his leisure time from the Net.
Carr feels like he cannot concentrate on the long passages of reading
because his brain is used to the fast millisecond flow of the Net.
 Continuation

• “For more than a decade now, I’ve been spending a lot of time online,
searching and surfing.” The supporting idea is that his mind now
“expects to take in information the way the Net distributes it--in a
swiftly moving streams of particles.”

• His brain wants to think as fast as the Internet goes. In summary, the
article is split into two pieces. The first is Nicholas Carr’s longing for his
brain to be one with the Internet, a man-made machine. The second
part of the article is Google’s standpoint on how our brains should be
replaced by artificial intelligence.
 C. Why the Future Does Not Need Us?
• With the accelerating improvements of technology,
computer scientists succeed in developing intelligent
machines that can do all things better than human
beings. In that case presumably all work will be done by
vast, highly organized systems of machines, and no
human effort will be necessary. Either of two cases
might occur. The machines might be permitted to make
all of their own decisions without human oversight, or
else human control over the machines might be
retained.
 Continuation

• If the machines are permitted to make all their own decisions, we

cannot make any conjectures about the results because it is
impossible to guess how such machines might behave. We only point
out that the fate of the human race would be at the mercy of the
machines. It might be argued that the human race would never be
foolish enough to hand over all the power to the machines. But human
race would voluntarily turn power over to the machines or the
machines would willfully seize power. Human race might easily permit
itself to drift into a position of such dependence on the machines that it
would have no practical choice but to accept all of the machines’
decisions.
 Continuation

• On the other hand, it is possible that human control over the machines
may be retained. In that case the average man may have control over
certain private machines of his own, such as his car or his personal
computer, but control over large systems of machines will be in the hands
of the tiny elite.
• If the elite are ruthless, they may simply decide to exterminate the mass
of humanity. If they are humane they may use propaganda or any other
psychological or biological techniques to reduce the birth rate until the
mass of humanity becomes extinct, leaving the world to the elite. Or, if
the elite consist of soft- hearted liberals, they may decide to play the
role of good shepherds to the rest of the human race.
 Continuation

• In a completely free marketplace, superior robots would surely affect

humans as North American placentals affected South American
marsupials (and as humans have affected countless species). Robotic
industries would compete vigorously among themselves for matter,
energy, and space, incidentally driving their price beyond human
reach. Unable to afford the necessities of life, biological humans would
be squeezed out of existence.
 Continuation

• A textbook on dystopia and Moravec discuss how our main job in the
21st century will be “ensuring continued cooperation from the robot
industries” by passing laws decreeing that they be “nice,” and
describing how seriously dangerous a human can be once
transformed into an unbounded super intelligent robot. Moravec’s view
is that the robots will eventually succeed us that humans clearly face
extinction.
 Activity: Film Viewing
• Watch the movie “Artificial Intelligence” also known as “A.I.” by Steven
Spielberg. Answer the following questions.
1. At the beginning of the movie, Professor Hobby states that “to create an artificial
being has been the dream of man since the birth of science.” There’s probably an
element of truth to this. Why do we have this fascination?
2. One of the scientists at Cybertronics asks, “If a robot could genuinely love a person,
what responsibility does that person hold toward that mecha in return?” Professor
Hobby responds, “In the beginning, didn’t God create Adam to love him?” What is
implied by Professor Hobby’s answer?
3. Consider some of the imagery the Flesh Fair: motorcycles, cowboy hats, heavy
metal music, flannel shirts. What statement does this make about the kind of humans
that opposed robots?
4. The owner of the Flesh Fair states that child mechas like David, were
built to disarm humans by playing on human emotions. Nevertheless, the
human spectators feel sympathy with David, particularly because he
pleads for his life. What abilities would a robot have to exhibit before we
would consider it an equal with humans?

5. Gigolo Joe tells David that his mother does not love him, but only
loves what he does for her. Is it plausible to think that a normal human
could love a robot as though it were a real human?
THANK YOU