The cost of robots has decreased massively over the past few years, and at the same time, the use of them in domestic situations has increased substantially. But with robots increasingly being asked to do things human beings should be doing for themselves, is the time ripe for an ethical code for robots to be developed and introduced?

Personal service robots, such as the type dreamed about long ago in visions of the future, are now becoming a reality. There are robots that can mow your lawn, robots that can help you eat, and even robots that can be left in charge of the elderly or the young, that is of course if you have too much money and not enough common sense.

Sales of service robots, both for personal and professional use, are estimated to have hit 5.5 million during 2008. And that total is set to explode, with 11.5 million service robots expected to be sold annually by 2011. As the popularity of these semi-intelligent mechanical beings increases, is it time to set boundaries for their use?

Robotics professor, Noel Sharkey, from the University of Sheffield in England thinks so, and according to The London Telegraph, published his reasons for wanting a new ethical code for robots in the U.S. journal, Science.

Sharkey points towards robots such as My Spoon, which assists elderly or infirm people in eating, or the new generation of robots designed to entertain and inform children. Last year, I covered a story about Qrio, a robot being suggested as a possible new best friend for lonely children. And while the concept may be good, this could also create problems that need addressing sooner rather than later.

Sharkey isn’t so much bothered about putting an ethics code in for the robots themselves (this isn’t The Matrix after all) but the use of them by people. While short-term contact with robots is uplifting and life-affirming, long-term contact could result in a lack of human contact or an inability to interact with other humans on an emotional level.

This call for an ethical code for robots may seem way out there but it does make sense to do something to safeguard people now rather than once the use of robots becomes more mainstream. I, Robot may just be science fiction but robots replacing humans in some aspects of life is set to become reality. That needs addressing.

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Entry was posted on Sunday, December 21st, 2008 at 11:41 pm under Opinion, Technology.

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