Citation
(2007), "Robots face the law in South Korea", Industrial Robot, Vol. 34 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.2007.04934eab.002
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2007, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Robots face the law in South Korea
Robots face the law in South Korea
The South Korean Government has drawn up a new set of rules – not for its citizens but for the robot population.
It is an ethical code to protect humans from any harm and the robots from abuse.
Professor Kim Dae-Won, Myongji University said: “I think this ethical charter has a critical meaning for the future robot society. To make the transition to the robotics society, we have to change our system and national mind.”
So a 12-member task force consisting of scientists, doctors and psychologists is drafting the Charter.
Experts say it will follow the “Three Laws of Robotics” a framework for robot behaviour created by science fiction author Isaac Asimov.
The laws will dictate that robots are to refrain from attacking humans, obey them at all times and must protect their existence.
The South Korean Government is hoping to release a “robot doctor” by 2018 which can perform surgeries, and it is predicting that each family will have a domestic robot by 2020.
But not everyone is happy about the plans. Student Cheon Joon-Suk said: “If robot ethics become effective, it means there's going to be restrictions against developing robots.”
The Robot Ethics Charter is expected to be released on the internet in early June.