Robot rights

Should Robots Have Rights?

Date published:

December 8, 2017

"As robots gain citizenship and potential personhood in parts of the world, it’s appropriate to consider whether they should also have rights.

So argues Northeastern professor Woodrow Hartzog, whose research focuses in part on robotics and automated technologies. Read more about Should Robots Have Rights?

The rise of smart machines puts spotlight on 'robot rights'

Date published:

December 4, 2017

NBC News

"Maybe that makes sense from the perspective of pure logic. But Ryan Calo, an expert in robotics and cyber law at the University of Washington in Seattle, says our laws are unlikely to bend that far. “Our legal system reflects our basic biology,” he says. If we one day invent some sort of artificial person, “it would break everything about the law, as we understand it today." Read more about The rise of smart machines puts spotlight on 'robot rights'

Robots need civil rights, too

Date published:

September 8, 2017

The Boston Globe

"Her fictional scenario fits right into issues tackled by the burgeoning field of robot law, according to University of Washington law professor Ryan Calo. “There’s a physical, biological set of understandings that permeate the Constitution,” he said. For example, we give every person a vote, and we give every person the right to reproduce. But what if an AI can reproduce 10 million versions of itself every second? Do we give all of them a vote? And what if a robot wants to run for president? Does it have to wait 35 years, even if it is born with adult-level consciousness? Read more about Robots need civil rights, too

What Kind of Legal Rights Should Robots Have?

Date published:

March 12, 2016

Atlas Obscura

"Robots. Are they people, too?

Science fiction has long consider the legal rights of artificially intelligent beings. But as robots become an increasing presence in our societies and industries, questions about the role of robots in legal decisions, how laws are applied to robots, and the concept of “robot law” itself have begun to emerge. Read more about What Kind of Legal Rights Should Robots Have?

The First ‘Robotic' Car Crash Happened in 1947

Date published:

March 1, 2016

Motherboard

"This case is a curio of weird American history, and it’s a frustrating look at gender roles at the time. But it’s not entirely frivolous to look back at the case now that a Google driverless car has been deemed at fault in a crash. Read more about The First ‘Robotic' Car Crash Happened in 1947

Legal Analysis Finds Judges Have No Idea What Robots Are

Date published:

February 27, 2016

Motherboard

"We can’t be sure what Brieant was thinking when he ordered poor Walter killed (Brieant died in 2008), but a new legal analysis by Ryan Calo, an assistant professor at the University of Washington School of Law, has found that there have been a whole litany of cases involving robots. Upsettingly, many decisions involving robots suggest American judges have a fundamental lack of understanding about what robots are and how they function. Read more about Legal Analysis Finds Judges Have No Idea What Robots Are