Noel Sharkey's Essay 'The Ethical Frontiers Of Robotics'
Ahmad Marrouch
ID#: 12112047
Did you try before to use your extreme imagination? Where did it lead you in the technological field? If you think that “Man in Black” (1997) movie that uses inhuman people in most of its scenes was just an extreme imagination for Barry Sonnenfeld, then you are wrong. After the technological and industrial development, the term technology has become widely known for most of human beings. While talking about technology, you may feel that we are talking about TVs, laptops, smart phones or any other technological device. But we are actually talking about a wide phenomenon that dominates the world in the last era of the 20st century. This phenomenon was introduced by …show more content…
a great invention called robots. In his essay “The Ethical Frontiers of Robotics”, Noel Sharkey talks about the rise of robots and their usage.
He assumes that the number of robots has risen from 5.5 to 11.5 million between 2008 and 2011. They are multifunctional and can be used for: “cleaning sewers or windows and performing domestic duties in the home. They harvest fruit, pump gasoline, assist doctors and surgeons, dispose of bombs, and even entertain us.”(Sharkey, N. December 2008). He believes that this use of the service robots causes a lot of ethical problems; they were dangerous caregivers for children and also used in the development of autonomous robot weapons by the military.
The accelerated technological development allowed robots to become mobile and interactive machines. Also it helped researchers in the emerging field of human-robot to implement artificial intelligence techniques for the expression of emotion, language interaction, speech perception, and face recognition. The author also states that robot caregivers are produced in order to take care of children and more specifically play the role of a nurse. Several experimentations have been done and proved that children loved the invention of the robot that took care of them. “Research on child-minding robots has demonstrated close bonding and attachment by children, who, in most cases, prefer a robot to a teddy bear”(Sharkey, N. December
2008).
We do not controvert that these machines can provide an enjoyable and entertaining experience for children. But is it safe for them? Despite these advantages of a robot caregiver cannot fully play the role of a nurse. “The use of nursing care robots remains limited, however, not only due to shortages of models that meet actual needs but also because of a belief at nursing homes that human workers provide the best care, said a ministry official in charge.”(Japan Times, 2012)
The majority of parents use robots to take care of their children; these robots are supplied by an “eye camera” that can be controlled by mobile phone or from a window on a computer, also it provides alerts when children move out of range.
However, we still believe that robots do not provide care, and children still need human attention. “As the absence of safety standards for robot nurses is another factor discouraging nursing homes from using them, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry intend to work out regulations possibly by the end of the current fiscal year.”(Japan Times, 2012) Moreover, parents think that by buying a robot caregiver they can manage their time more and give the best care for their children. But that’s not true because children still need to have some quality time with their parents. They need to have a social and physical contact with them. “The current thinking behind robot caregivers is that they are not intended to replace human beings but it’s equally difficult to imagine the limits of their role unless we choose to legislate or place restrictions on what future technologies might offer.”(Kennard. C, August 2013)
In addition, caregivers were not only made to take care of children but also to take care of elderly people who are not able to move or have some specific diseases like Alzheimer. In a movie called “Robot & Frank,” the producer shows us a scene that take place in the near future where the son brought a huge robot to take care of his older dad instead of taking him to the center for Alzheimer’s treatment. “Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed Cody, a robotic nurse the university says is gentle enough to bathe elderly patients…Hector, a robot that is being developed by the University of Reading in England, can remind patients to take their medicine, keep track of their eyeglasses and assist in the event of a fall.”(Bilton, N. 30 May 2013). But people are not ready to leave their parents in the care of a robot caregiver that can suddenly breakdown or can occur a dysfunction in its monitor. Sherry Turkle, a professor of science, technology and society at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology says: “I felt like this isn 't amazing; this is sad. We have been reduced to spectators of a conversation that has no meaning. Giving old people robots to talk to is a dystopian view that is being classified as utopian.” Turkle said robots did not have a capacity to listen or understand something personal, and tricking patients to think they can is unethical.” (Bilton, N. 30 May 2013)
Another problem that we encountered throughout the years is that human beings have developed robots and made it a part of wars around the world. They transformed these machines into weapons to dominate the universe.
At the beginning it starts with scientific researches, and then these researches leads to combine robots and weapons together. Because of the human curiosity, after every invention, researchers wanted to test their new weapons. This lead to conflicts between countries, an Arms race and the release of new kind of weapons:” A different set of ethical issues is raised by the use of robots in military applications. Coalition military forces in Iraq and Afghanistan have deployed more than 5000 mobile robots. Most are used for surveillance or bomb disposal, but some, like the Talon SWORD and MAARS, are heavily armed for use in combat, although there have been no reports of lethality yet. The semiautonomous unmanned combat air vehicles, such as the MQ1 Predator and MQ9 Reapers, carry Hellfire missiles and bombs that have been involved in many strikes against insurgent targets that have resulted in the deaths of many innocents, including children.”(Sharkey, N. December 2008).
If the future holds independent robots that are acting on their own how would they be able to decide right from wrong? Would the robots start attacking human beings who are their own creators? Would they conquer the world and destroy planet earth?
At the end, this technological evolution and the invention of the robots should have been used to help people in their lives. Unfortunately the human being can no longer control the consequences that the robots are creating in our world by destroying the life of many people instead of saving it. Why we expect more from technology and less from each other? Think about it.
References http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/162301/robots-future-caregivers/ http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/11/26/national/ministry-to-push-nursing-robots-to-aid-caregivers/#.Usw7QbSBLR0
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID%3D/20130530/LIFE/305300332
https://sites.google.com/a/cortland.edu/military-robots/disadvantages
ID#: 12112047
Did you try before to use your extreme imagination? Where did it lead you in the technological field? If you think that “Man in Black” (1997) movie that uses inhuman people in most of its scenes was just an extreme imagination for Barry Sonnenfeld, then you are wrong. After the technological and industrial development, the term technology has become widely known for most of human beings. While talking about technology, you may feel that we are talking about TVs, laptops, smart phones or any other technological device. But we are actually talking about a wide phenomenon that dominates the world in the last era of the 20st century. This phenomenon was introduced by …show more content…
a great invention called robots. In his essay “The Ethical Frontiers of Robotics”, Noel Sharkey talks about the rise of robots and their usage.
He assumes that the number of robots has risen from 5.5 to 11.5 million between 2008 and 2011. They are multifunctional and can be used for: “cleaning sewers or windows and performing domestic duties in the home. They harvest fruit, pump gasoline, assist doctors and surgeons, dispose of bombs, and even entertain us.”(Sharkey, N. December 2008). He believes that this use of the service robots causes a lot of ethical problems; they were dangerous caregivers for children and also used in the development of autonomous robot weapons by the military.
The accelerated technological development allowed robots to become mobile and interactive machines. Also it helped researchers in the emerging field of human-robot to implement artificial intelligence techniques for the expression of emotion, language interaction, speech perception, and face recognition. The author also states that robot caregivers are produced in order to take care of children and more specifically play the role of a nurse. Several experimentations have been done and proved that children loved the invention of the robot that took care of them. “Research on child-minding robots has demonstrated close bonding and attachment by children, who, in most cases, prefer a robot to a teddy bear”(Sharkey, N. December
2008).
We do not controvert that these machines can provide an enjoyable and entertaining experience for children. But is it safe for them? Despite these advantages of a robot caregiver cannot fully play the role of a nurse. “The use of nursing care robots remains limited, however, not only due to shortages of models that meet actual needs but also because of a belief at nursing homes that human workers provide the best care, said a ministry official in charge.”(Japan Times, 2012)
The majority of parents use robots to take care of their children; these robots are supplied by an “eye camera” that can be controlled by mobile phone or from a window on a computer, also it provides alerts when children move out of range.
However, we still believe that robots do not provide care, and children still need human attention. “As the absence of safety standards for robot nurses is another factor discouraging nursing homes from using them, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry intend to work out regulations possibly by the end of the current fiscal year.”(Japan Times, 2012) Moreover, parents think that by buying a robot caregiver they can manage their time more and give the best care for their children. But that’s not true because children still need to have some quality time with their parents. They need to have a social and physical contact with them. “The current thinking behind robot caregivers is that they are not intended to replace human beings but it’s equally difficult to imagine the limits of their role unless we choose to legislate or place restrictions on what future technologies might offer.”(Kennard. C, August 2013)
In addition, caregivers were not only made to take care of children but also to take care of elderly people who are not able to move or have some specific diseases like Alzheimer. In a movie called “Robot & Frank,” the producer shows us a scene that take place in the near future where the son brought a huge robot to take care of his older dad instead of taking him to the center for Alzheimer’s treatment. “Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed Cody, a robotic nurse the university says is gentle enough to bathe elderly patients…Hector, a robot that is being developed by the University of Reading in England, can remind patients to take their medicine, keep track of their eyeglasses and assist in the event of a fall.”(Bilton, N. 30 May 2013). But people are not ready to leave their parents in the care of a robot caregiver that can suddenly breakdown or can occur a dysfunction in its monitor. Sherry Turkle, a professor of science, technology and society at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology says: “I felt like this isn 't amazing; this is sad. We have been reduced to spectators of a conversation that has no meaning. Giving old people robots to talk to is a dystopian view that is being classified as utopian.” Turkle said robots did not have a capacity to listen or understand something personal, and tricking patients to think they can is unethical.” (Bilton, N. 30 May 2013)
Another problem that we encountered throughout the years is that human beings have developed robots and made it a part of wars around the world. They transformed these machines into weapons to dominate the universe.
At the beginning it starts with scientific researches, and then these researches leads to combine robots and weapons together. Because of the human curiosity, after every invention, researchers wanted to test their new weapons. This lead to conflicts between countries, an Arms race and the release of new kind of weapons:” A different set of ethical issues is raised by the use of robots in military applications. Coalition military forces in Iraq and Afghanistan have deployed more than 5000 mobile robots. Most are used for surveillance or bomb disposal, but some, like the Talon SWORD and MAARS, are heavily armed for use in combat, although there have been no reports of lethality yet. The semiautonomous unmanned combat air vehicles, such as the MQ1 Predator and MQ9 Reapers, carry Hellfire missiles and bombs that have been involved in many strikes against insurgent targets that have resulted in the deaths of many innocents, including children.”(Sharkey, N. December 2008).
If the future holds independent robots that are acting on their own how would they be able to decide right from wrong? Would the robots start attacking human beings who are their own creators? Would they conquer the world and destroy planet earth?
At the end, this technological evolution and the invention of the robots should have been used to help people in their lives. Unfortunately the human being can no longer control the consequences that the robots are creating in our world by destroying the life of many people instead of saving it. Why we expect more from technology and less from each other? Think about it.
References http://www.healthcentral.com/alzheimers/c/57548/162301/robots-future-caregivers/ http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/11/26/national/ministry-to-push-nursing-robots-to-aid-caregivers/#.Usw7QbSBLR0
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID%3D/20130530/LIFE/305300332
https://sites.google.com/a/cortland.edu/military-robots/disadvantages