Are we safe from robots that can think for themselves?

REBECCA CAMBER
The Daily Mail
Apr. 24, 2007

Robots that can think for themselves could soon be caring for our children and the elderly and policing our streets, say experts.

Scientists told yesterday of a new generation of robots which can work without human direction.

They predict that in the next five years robots will be available for child-minding, to work in care homes, monitor prisons and help police trace criminals.

And while it may sound like something out of a science-fiction film, the experts say advances in technology have made the thinking robot possible.

A group of leading robotic researchers called for an urgent public debate and legislation to prevent large numbers of autonomous robots being introduced into society without considering the potential risks to public safety.

Until now most robots have been operated by humans, usually by remote control or verbal commands. But now autonomous machines such as toys and vacuum cleaners which cover the room without needing any human instructions or guidance are being introduced.

Manufacturers are exploring ways to make robotic toys look after children, which experts say will lead to child-minding machines able to monitor youngsters, transmitting their progress to the parents by onboard cameras.

In Japan, scientists are producing robots to act as companions for the elderly and check their heart rate.

Alan Winfield, professor of electronic engineering at the University of the West of England in Bristol, said yesterday it would not be long before technological advances made it possible for robots to be introduced in the home, as well as prisons and the police service.

Speaking at a debate on robot ethics at the London Science Media Centre, he said: "It is highly likely that in a number of years robots will be employed both for child-minding and care for the elderly.

"But the danger is that we will sleepwalk into a situation where we accept a large number of autonomous robots in our lives without being sure of the consequences.

"The outcome could be that when given a choice the robot could make the wrong decision and someone gets hurt. They can go wrong just like a motor car can.

"We should be aware of the future that we are letting ourselves in for. We need to look at their safety and reliability."

His warning echoes the hit Hollywood sci-fi film I, Robot, starring Will Smith, in which a slave robot with a mind of its own causes chaos.

Noel Sharkey, professor of computer science at Sheffield University, said: "Technology is increasing at an incredible rate.

"My main worry is that these autonomous robots could be introduced very quickly. We need to have an informed public debate now before that happens."

The biggest advances in robots in recent years have been as weapons of war. The U.S. military is developing battlefield robots which will be given the ability to decide when to use lethal force.

At the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, a battlefield robot is being developed which will use radar data and intelligence feeds to make decisions based on a set of ethical rules, which has been compared to an artificial conscience.

The Korean government is looking to create robotic armed border guards as part of a Ł 51million investment in robotics.