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Thursday, November 11, 2010

Robot Makes Ethical Decisions : Discovery News

Robot Makes Ethical Decisions : Discovery News: "Robots and other machines equipped with artificial intelligence shoot military targets, distribute cash (think: ATMs), drive cars and deliver medication to patients, to name a few. If people performed these duties, they would be expected to behave in a certain way and follow moral and ethical guidelines. But what about robots? They can't yet think and act on their own accord, so should we expect them to behave morally?

Researchers working in the field of machine ethics say yes and are investigating ways to program machines to behave morally.

Philosopher Susan Anderson and her research partner and husband Michael Anderson, a computer scientist have programmed a robot to behave in an ethical manner. Based on certain facts and outcomes, the robot must weigh a decision and make choices about what to do. The situation is rooted in the medical field, where the robot's duties involve reminding patients to take their medicine. A human would judge how often to remind a patient to take medicine and whether or not to inform the doctor if the patient refuses to take the medicine. But how do you program a robot to do that?"

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