Should We Regulate Robot and Artificial Intelligence Development?

December 3, 2014 – Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking have both posted warnings about the evolution of intelligent machines. Musk has compared artificial intelligence to a Pandora’s Box, letting a genie out of the bottle with unintended consequences. Hawking in a recent speech sees the potential of a human-machine conflict in our near future. He recently stated, “I think the development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.”

Those familiar with Isaac Asimov’s “Three Laws of Robotics“ know that in the realm of science fiction humanity has spawned childlike, aiming-to-please robots like Daneel who appears in several of that author’s novels. At the same time both religion and fiction have contributed automatons of a different nature. Take the the Golem, a legendary monster who arose from the mud to defend the Jews of Prague from Christian mobs, or Shelley’s Frankenstein, a monster conjured by science run amok.

Hawking sees a pending “arms race” between human and artificial intelligence. In an interview with the Financial Times he describes advances in genetic engineering that can improve humanity a generation at a time, every 18 years. Whereas with Moore’s Law continuing to hold true, computers continue to double speed and memory every 18 months. We humans are inching along while the machines we create are comparatively advancing at light speed. In the Financial Times interview Hawking stated, “the risk is that computers develop intelligence and take over. Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn’t compete, and would be superseded.”

Hawking and Musk are not alone in expressing these very alarming views. And yet governments seem slow off the mark in recognizing the disruptive and destructive potential represented by advances in robotics and artificial intelligence.

In almost every technological innovation coming from the Industrial Revolution our governments have seen fit to at some point establish regulation and standards. This has helped with communications, aviation, pharmaceuticals, consumer electronics, motor vehicles and more. So why not robotics and artificial intelligence? After all regulation in the past has protected humanity from harm while allowing innovative processes to unfold. So the subject of this posting, that we ask ourselves if governments should establish guidelines and standards to ensure we don’t end up in a war with the technology we create, is more than relevant. It is essential.

The European Union in September of this year has funded a project entitled, “Regulating Emerging Robotic Technologies in Europe: Robotics facing Law and Ethics.” Deemed to be an in depth analysis of the ethical and legal issues raised by robotics and their application, it looks at risks to fundamental rights and freedoms and whether new regulation is needed to address potential problems posed by the technology.

In the document the authors state “overly rigid regulations might stifle innovation, but lack of legal clarity leaves device-makers….in the dark.” Law seldom keeps pace with a fast emerging technology. Of this fact the authors are very cognizant. At the same time as they recognize that premature and obtrusive legislation could hamper promising advances in the field, they also note that a lack of regulation and legal framework can result in unintended and dangerous consequences.

In the December issue of Scientific American, Ryan Calo, a University of Washington law professor specializing in robotics, law and policy, argues the case for U.S. federal regulation. In his concluding remarks he states, “if we fail to think about proper legal and policy infrastructure now, robotics could be the first transformative technology since steam in which America has not played a preeminent role.”

Related articles across the web

• Elon Musk Is Not Alone In His Belief That Robots Will Eventually Want To Kill Us All
• The progression of artificial intelligence: To be feared or celebrated?