Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
 |
An 'Ethical Black Box' For Robots?
The idea that robots should be equipped with an "ethical black box" that would enable scientists to check their ethical decision-making has been floated by researchers at a conference at the University of Surrey.
“Serious accidents will need investigating, but what do you do if an accident investigator turns up and discovers there is no internal datalog, no record of what the robot was doing at the time of the accident? It’ll be more or less impossible to tell what happened,” Winfield said.
“The reason commercial aircraft are so safe is not just good design, it is also the tough safety certification processes and, when things do go wrong, robust and publicly visible processes of air accident investigation,” the researchers write in a paper to be presented at the Surrey meeting.
The introduction of ethical black boxes would have benefits beyond accident investigation. The same devices could provide robots – elderly care assistants, for example – with the ability to explain their actions in simple language, and so help users to feel comfortable with the technology.
Science fiction great Arthur C. Clarke explored this idea in the excellent 1984 novel 2010 (which was also made into a movie), his sequel to 2001: A Space Odyssey.
In the movie, Dr. Chandra, the creator of the HAL 9000 artificial intelligence computer, returns to the spaceship Discovery, now orbiting Jupiter, to determine the reason for the ethical lapse that causes HAL to kill astronaut Frank Poole.
Winfield and Marina Jirotka, professor of human-centred computing at Oxford University, argue that robotics firms should follow the example set by the aviation industry, which brought in black boxes and cockpit voice recorders so that accident investigators could understand what caused planes to crash and ensure that crucial safety lessons were learned. Installed in a robot, an ethical black box would record the robot’s decisions, its basis for making them, its movements, and information from sensors such as cameras, microphones and rangefinders.
(Dr. Chandra explains HAL's apparent ethical lapse)
Even though 2010 was just a movie, and Hal is a science-fictional computer, it illustrates why a simple list of instructions executed may not fully explicate what happened. This problem will be exacerbated by the fact that AI computers of the near future will rely heavily on deep learning techniques that work, but are poorly understood.
(Machine Learning at XKCD)
You might also be interested in this article Can You Give A Robot A Conscience? which explores similar themes. The discussion with the SAL 9000 computer (see embedded video) is also revealing. Also, see Machine Ethics With Prospective Logic, which discusses the different results that can be reached by "moral" systems.
Via The Guardian.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 7/28/2017)
Follow this kind of news @Technovelgy.| Email | RSS | Blog It | Stumble | del.icio.us | Digg | Reddit |
Would
you like to contribute a story tip?
It's easy:
Get the URL of the story, and the related sf author, and add
it here.
Comment/Join discussion ( 0 )
Related News Stories - (" Robotics ")
Robot Gas Station Attendant Pumps Gas For You
'... he waited for the robotrix attendant to finish fueling up his ship.' - Philip K. Dick, 1974.
SnapBot Robots - You Choose Their Legs And They Choose Their Gaits
It's not really polite to tear the limbs off robots.
Humanoid Robots Building Humanoid Robots
''Pardon me, Struthers,' he broke in suddenly... 'haven't you a section of the factory where only robot labor is employed?'' - Isaac Asimov (1940)
What's The Best Way To Ship And Unpack Humanoid Robots?
'I opened the oblong box, where lay the automatons side by side...' - Elizabeth Bellamy, 1899.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
Current News
Nuclear Plant Restarted To Power AI To Feed Us Dreams
'...Anything was possible in my imaginary environment.'
SpaceX's Starman Tesla Roadster In Space
'Somewhere in space, a chrome and blue automobile raced the green light of Earth.'
Pivotal Blackfly Electric Aircraft Lifts And Hovers
'That explains how it was so easy for me to remain motionless in midair...'
CORLEO Robotic Horse Concept Looks Ready To Ride
Imagine digging your heels in to a steam horse!
Who First Thought Of A Tin Foil Hat?
'We had discovered that metal was relatively impervious to the telepathic effect.'
Warp Drive Tech Back On The Menu
'Detailed plans for the construction of the Gundstetter-Halone warp drive were flowing.'
Huawei Pura X Folding Phattie Phone
Why can't we get more innovative phone configurations?
Sleep Pods At Daxing International Airport
'Do not waste your priceless company on the unappreciative folds of a sleep pod...'
Robot Baristas Learn Their Trade Without Paying Royalties
'...so we've promised him a generous pension from the royalties.'
JAXA Int Ball 2 Coming Right Along As Star Wars Remote
'Hocus-pocus religions and archaic weapons are no substitute for a good blaster at your side.'
Robot Bricklayer Or Passer-By Bricklayer?
'Oscar picked up a trowel. 'I'm the tool for the mortar,' the little trowel squeaked cheerfully.'
Robot Gas Station Attendant Pumps Gas For You
'... he waited for the robotrix attendant to finish fueling up his ship.'
Engineer Creates Crazy Motorized Track Hospital Bed
The Roujin Z system provides care to fully bedridden patients - and then some!
Tiny Flying Robot Weighs Just One Gram
'Aerostat meant anything that hung in the air. This was an easy trick to pull off nowadays.'
Some Ringworld Configurations Are Stable
'The Ringworld had no horizon. There was no line where the land curved away from the sky.'
TRANSFORM Dynamic Furniture Concept Becomes What You Need
'An adjustment panel outside the door would cause it to extrude various appurtenances in memory plastic...'
