Granting Robots Legal Status

Have you ever wondered what a world full of robots would be like? Does it make you get nervous or does it excite you? I’ve always been one that is excited for robots to make an appearance in the world. Ever since I was a young kid I dreamt of one day owning a robot and at this point it’s the chances are looking very good. I wonder if maybe they will someday take over all jobs and humans no longer need to work. That’s what I think will happen eventually, humans can finally just enjoy life for what it is and not have to worry about going to work to make money. I’ve also wondered what kind of legal status that robots might have. Would they have the same rights as humans or would they just be considered technology. After reading the article, “European Parliament Insists on Granting Robots’ Legal Status”, I found that people are discussing this already.

The main idea of the article was about the European Parliament’s Legal Affairs proposing to give robots’ legal status. With A.I becoming more of a reality, laws need to be put into place to protect society. This will give robots an electronic personhood which will ensure them rights and responsibilities. With this in consideration, designers need to make sure that a “kill switch” is in place for safety measures. Another important aspect to consider for human safety, is to always make robots identifiable to humans. The proposal of this draft was approved by the European Parliament. This draft is hoping to ensure that robots will always remain in the service of humans, not the other way around.

I honestly think it’s a little strange to give Artificial Intelligence legal status. It almost sounds like it’s out of some end of the world movie where robots take over. Robots are starting to sound more and more like a human. I do understand that laws need to be put into place however to protect society. I believe that a kill switch in all units is a must have safety feature. This would ensure the safety of everyone around and give people a sense of security. A big question around these devices is human privacy and dignity. Designers need to take this into account when programming. Ethics are also a huge part of what needs to be programmed into these robots. I also believe that it’s important that the European Parliament is going over this type of thing now to answer any questions for the people that are scared that robots are a bad thing for society.

Robots will be a great thing for our society and our futures. We need to know that robots are programmable and are not conscious. They will never be conscious and will not destroy humans. That is just a Hollywood myth or a great science fiction novel. The benefits are endless with A.I. Enough precautionary measures will be put into place, such as the kill switch. I’m excited to see what the future holds.