Robots are becoming an important part of today’s culture and are being used for a whole range of tasks including space exploration, manufacturing and in doing service industry jobs. People are beginning to embrace them more and more as they realize the potential time and money robots can save us.
But, how far do we take this reliance and this relationship? Experts are now saying that as we approach the near-human intelligence and conscious levels in humans that perhaps we should be considering the rights and protection needed for the robots. If we are easily protected from them, should they not similarly be protected from us?
This is one theory questioned by Marcus du Sautoy, who is a mathematician from the University of Oxford. His point is that if we are giving these beings the ability to feel and have a real sense of self, then surely it is only right that they should have some form of rights the same way in which humans do. Whether something has an organic or synthetic consciousness, it is still there and should not be ignored.
But not everyone will be on board with Marcus’ theory, and some may feel that if we start to give robots rights, then one day they may use this freedom to turn against us. Whatever your views on the subject, we may still be some way off from developing this as a whole as much time, resources and research would need to be put in to ensure we are protecting both humans and robots efficiently.
More News To Read