Robots could demand legal rights

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Robots could demand legal rights

BBC ^ | Thursday, 21 December 2006, 13:54 GMT | BBC


Posted on 12/21/2006 7:33:03 AM PST by Solitar


Robots could one day demand the same citizen's rights as humans,
according to a study by the British government.

If granted, countries would be obligated to provide social benefits
including housing and even "robo-healthcare", the report says. The
predictions are contained in nearly 250 papers that look ahead at
developments over the next 50 years. Other papers, or "scans", examine
the future of space flight and methods to dramatically lengthen life
spans. "We're not in the business of predicting the future, but we do
need to explore the broadest range of different possibilities to help
ensure government is prepared in the long-term and considers issues
across the spectrum in its planning," said Sir David King, the
government's chief scientific adviser. "The scans are aimed at
stimulating debate and critical discussion to enhance government's
short and long term policy and strategy."

Robot rights

The research was commissioned by the UK Office of Science and
Innovation's Horizon Scanning Centre. The 246 summary papers, called
the Sigma and Delta scans, were complied by futures researchers,
Outsights-Ipsos Mori partnership and the US-based Institute for the
Future (IFTF). The papers look forward at emerging trends in science,
health and technology. The scans explore a diverse range of areas from
the future of the gulf stream and the economic rise of India, to
developments in nanotechnology and the threat posed by HIV/AIDS. As
well as assessing the current state of thinking the research also
examines the possible implications for society. The paper which
addresses Robo-rights, titled "Utopian dream or rise of the machines"
examines the developments in artificial intelligence and how this may
impact on law and politics. The paper says a "monumental shift" could
occur if robots develop to the point where they can reproduce, improve
themselves or develop artificial intelligence. The research suggests
that at some point in the next 20 to 50 years robots could be granted
rights. If this happened, the report says, the robots would have
certain responsibilities such as voting, the obligation to pay taxes,
and perhaps serving compulsory military service. Conversely, society
would also have a duty of care to their new digital citizens, the
report says. It also warns that the rise of robots could put a strain
on resources and the environment. "These scans are tools for government
to identify risks and opportunities in the future," said Sir David.

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Robots could demand legal rights