A UK report says that in the future, possibly as soon as the year 2056, robots might have to be given rights because we may give robots a conscious, therefore we would need to afford them "rights".
The next time you beat your keyboard in frustration, think of a day when it may be able to sue you for assault. Within 50 years we might even find ourselves standing next to the next generation of vacuum cleaners in the voting booth.
Far from being extracts from the extreme end of science fiction, the idea that we may one day give sentient machines the kind of rights traditionally reserved for humans is raised in a British government-commissioned report which claims to be an extensive look into the future.
Visions of the status of robots around 2056 have emerged from one of 270 forward-looking papers sponsored by Sir David King, the UK government’s chief scientist. The paper covering robots’ rights was written by a UK partnership of Outsights, the management consultancy, and Ipsos Mori, the opinion research organisation.
“If we make conscious robots they would want to have rights and they probably should,” said Henrik Christensen, director of the Centre of Robotics and Intelligent Machines at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Now, in looking at reactions, I see people actually discussing whether robots should have rights or not.....
Right Wing News says:
Let me be the first to say that I don't care what kind of ideas they came up with in Sci-Fi novels, machines should never have "rights." Now, I know what some of you Star Trek geeks are thinking, "But, John, what if they're intelligent, have emotions, and a personalty like Data from Star Trek or the machines from AI?" Machines can't really have any of those things because they're nothing but machines. They're not born, they have no souls, and if they seem to possess human traits, it's only because that's how they've been programmed. "Sentient machines?" "Conscious robots?" There is no such thing. There's only programming that allows machines to mimic sentience and consciousness. Nothing more, nothing less.
Liberal Values says:
This will not really be a concern unless we develop machines with consciousness–and I mean truly conscious and not cleverly programmed machines which appear to be conscious. If a robot/android which is conscious like Star Trek’s Mr. Data could really be developed in the future I see no question that such beings deserve rights. Of course the possibility that a machine could ever be conscious such as Data has not yet been established.
State of the Day:
"I don't really like the idea of robots marrying," Mr. Dobson said, "Unless we create them with male and female parts, much the same way God created Adam and Eve, then I wouldn't have a problem it. But for two unisex robots to marry each other would be unnatural."
Mr. Dobson said that his organization is already lobbying Congress to enact legislation that would prevent rights from being given to robots yet to be created. Outgoing Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum was particularly adamant that Congress act now before the issue became critical.
"We must enact laws now," Mr. Santorum said during a recent luncheon, "Otherwise what is to stop someone from marrying their toaster or their laptop?"
Forget the freaking rights, ROBOTS SHOULD NOT BE MADE TO HAVE A CONSCIOUS.
Why is this even a discussion?? Are we not having enough of a problem right now between HUMAN BEINGS getting along? Are we going to give them their own religion also? Maybe create a "messiah robot" for them to pray to.
How utterly ludicrous this whole concept is. Not to mention incredibly creepy. Ya'll are just freaking me out now!!!!!
I have an appraisal to do, this is too strange to even think about anymore. I have never been so glad to actually have to work as I am right now.
[UPDATE] 1:17pm- Stop the ACLU weighs in with: American Cyborg Liberties Union? This has got to be a joke right? With as many “rights” as the ACLU has invented over the last few decades, is this really out of the realm of possibility?
Discussions:
Blue Crab Boulevard.
Tracked back by:
The ACLU’s Future Clients: ROBOTS! from Stop The ACLU...
Victory Is Our Goal from Rightwing Guy...
Dateline: 2060 from Thinkin'bout Stuff...
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