Score One for Philosophy

http://www.economist.com/node/21556234

This is one of the most interesting articles I have read in a long time. As robots grow more and more autonomous, they will need to be taught ethical principles to guide their actions. In particular, robots used for military purposes will face difficult dilemmas: should they attempt to take out a target if the risk of killing civilians is high? How high must the risk be for a robot to not kill its target? What if the target is responsible for killing hundreds, would the sacrifice of a few people be worth the cost? Even in more "tame" settings, robots will face difficult decisions: should a robot, perhaps one driving a car, swerve into pedestrians to avoid hitting another car?

Beyond these basic dilemmas, who or what will be responsible for robots that go astray? The engineer, the manufacturer, the programmer, the owner, or the robot? Can we really claim that a robot is morally responsible for some action? If not, and I don't see how we could blame a robot, who will be responsible for their immoral actions?

As of now, ethics will have an even more prominent place in modern society than ever before. Autonomous robots will need to be governed, they will need ethical principles to govern their behavior in all types of conceivable situations. Not only that, but they need viable principles that will conform with our intuitive notions of morality. More than anything else, I think the development of autonomous robots will show how difficult ethical theory making really is. Programming these robots will really push the issue: where will society fall? Consequentialism, deonotology, a rejection of both? Will a new theory surpass them all? Can we create a systematized and complete ethical theory to produce a robot that always behaves ethically? Without question, teaching ethics to machines will certainly sharpen our understanding of moral theory. Exciting frontier.

Perhaps the most exciting thing about this article is how it shows that modern technology cannot replace, nor should it, philosophy and the theory of morality. In fact, it forces them upon us.

Score one for philosophy.