Rise of the machines: As robots become increasingly popular and available, should we devise international ethics guidelines for their use?

Credit: Manfred Werner

WASHINGTON: The introduction of robot ethics guidelines is needed immediately, amid surging use of the machines and concern about their lack of human responsibility, a British researcher has said.

In an article published today in the journal Science, artificial intelligence and robotics professor Noel Sharkey, from the University of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, argues that the steady increase in the use of robots in day-to-day life poses unanticipated risks and ethical problems.

My Spoon, My Problem?

Outside of military applications, Sharkey worries how robots - and the people who control them - will be held accountable when the machines work with "the vulnerable," namely children and the elderly.

He notes that there are already robotic machines in wide use, such as the Japanese meal assistance robot 'My Spoon'.

Robots could also soon be entrusted by parents to guard and monitor their children, replacing a flesh-and-blood carer and posing potential problems in long-term exposure to the machines, Sharket said.

"There are already at least 14 companies in Japan and South Korea that have developed child care robots... The question here is, will this lead to neglect and social exclusion?"

Monkeying around

Short-term exposure "can provide an enjoyable and entertaining experience that creates interest and curiosity," Sharkey said, "[but] we do not know what the psychological impact will be for children... left for long hours in the care of robots."

Experiments conducted on monkeys suggest there is reason for concern, said Sharkey, with young monkeys left in the care of robots becoming "unable to deal with other monkeys and to breed".

With prices plunging by 80 per cent since 1990, consumer sales of robots have surged in the 21st century, reaching nearly 5.5 million in 2008, and are expected to double to 11.5 million in the next two years.