Records

This academic article examines the legal and social implications of future sentient robots, arguing that self-aware artificial intelligence systems would effectively exist in a state of slavery. Focusing specifically on companion and sex robots, the authors discuss issues around objectification, consent, and the potential erosion of human values. The paper concludes with a call for an international legal framework to protect the rights of sentient non-human entities.

This academic chapter examines the legal treatment of robots in civil law and evaluates the possibility of granting them legal status as subjects of law. The authors conclude that while robots possess certain characteristics of legal subjects, they cannot be granted independent legal personality because they lack free will and the ability to express mental attitudes towards their actions. Consequently, robots should be treated as objects of law whose actions are defined by their human owners.

This is an opinion by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) on the Coordinated Plan on the development of Artificial Intelligence in Europe. It stresses that AI development must be inclusive, aligned with EU values, and compliant with consumer, labour, and company legislation. The document endorses increased funding for AI innovation, infrastructure, education, and calls for a favourable business environment and a stable regulatory framework.

The OECD AI Principles set international standards to promote trustworthy, human-centric AI that respects human rights and democratic values. Initially adopted in May 2019 and updated in May 2024, they provide values-based principles for AI actors and practical recommendations for policymakers. The principles form part of the OECD Recommendation on Artificial Intelligence, serving as the first intergovernmental standard on AI.

This academic paper proposes ROS-Defender, a holistic security architecture for Robot Operating System (ROS) based robotic systems. It integrates a security event management system, an intrusion prevention system, and a firewall using software-defined networking (SDN) to provide dynamic policy enforcement at both the network and topic levels. The approach protects robotic applications against attacks like denial of service and compromised nodes without requiring changes to existing ROS APIs.

This academic chapter examines the ethical challenges surrounding the concept of friendliness in socially interactive robots. It analyzes how embodied, autonomous, and mobile robots create the illusion of affective reciprocity through human-like social behaviors and expressions. The paper discusses the philosophical and moral implications of fostering simulated friendship between humans and machines.

This document outlines an evangelical statement of principles on artificial intelligence, emphasizing human dignity, the image of God, and the appropriate boundaries and uses of technology. It features twelve articles addressing various domains including medicine, work, privacy, security, war, and public policy, affirming the potential benefits of AI while rejecting applications that degrade human worth or replace human moral agency. The statement is supported by a series of evangelical leaders and researchers.

These ethics guidelines for trustworthy AI were drafted by the High-Level Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence set up by the European Commission. They establish a framework based on fundamental rights, identifying four key ethical principles and seven core requirements that AI systems should meet throughout their lifecycle. The document also includes an assessment list to help operationalize these requirements and provides examples of opportunities and concerns regarding AI.

Mandatory Treasury Board directive governing how Government of Canada departments use automated decision systems for administrative decisions. Requires an Algorithmic Impact Assessment before production use, plain-language notice and explanations to affected clients, bias testing, employee training, and human involvement scaled to a four-level impact rating; final decisions at the highest levels must be made by a human.

This European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) briefing by the Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA) examines the legal and ethical reflections surrounding the rapid development of artificial intelligence. It analyses key regulatory challenges including defining AI, ensuring transparency and accountability, allocating liability, protecting privacy, and maintaining safety and security. Finally, it reviews ongoing EU-level policy and legislative initiatives aimed at creating a human-centric framework for trustworthy AI.

This policy paper examines the future of work, economy, and society in the Czech Republic in the context of automation and artificial intelligence. Authored by Jan Klesla and published in March 2019, it outlines the projected impact of AI on jobs and skills, income inequality, democracy, and education. It calls on the Czech government to proactively reform educational systems, strengthen social safety nets, and implement forward-looking economic policies to position the country as a model for Europe.

This document outlines Spain's national strategy for research, development, and innovation in artificial intelligence for 2019. It establishes six strategic priorities spanning organizational structures, key application sectors, knowledge transfer, talent development, digital data ecosystems, and ethical considerations. Additionally, it provides seven recommendations to align public policies, educational systems, and legal frameworks with the challenges of the AI transition.

This briefing paper from the European Parliament's Panel for the Future of Science and Technology (STOA) provides an accessible introduction to how artificial intelligence works, covering the chronology of its development from symbolic AI to data-driven machine learning and speculative future developments. It examines core techniques such as expert systems, artificial neural networks, deep learning, back propagation, gradient descent, and evolutionary training methods. Additionally, the briefing discusses related concepts like big data, computer vision, natural language processing, generative adversarial networks, robotics, and quantum AI, helping readers engage in clear-headed reflection on AI opportunities and challenges.

This academic journal article addresses desirable attributes for ethical machine reasoning systems to improve their real-world utility, proposing that such reasoning should be proactive, transparent, and verifiable. The authors describe a robot controller architecture where ethical reasoning is handled by a separate layer using a Python-based belief-desire-intention implementation and a simulation-based internal model. A case study implementation is used to experimentally demonstrate operation, representing the first such robot controller with formally verified ethical reasoning.

This executive order establishes the American AI Initiative to coordinate federal strategy for artificial intelligence research and development, workforce training, technical standards, and data access. It directs federal agencies to prioritize AI in budgeting and R&D while safeguarding national security, civil liberties, and privacy. Additionally, the order mandates plans for regulatory guidance, technical standardization, and protection of American technology advantages.

This Executive Order establishes the American Initiative, a coordinated federal government strategy to sustain and enhance United States leadership in artificial intelligence research, development, and deployment. It outlines five core principles focused on driving technological breakthroughs, establishing technical standards, workforce training, fostering public trust while protecting privacy and civil liberties, and promoting an international environment that supports American AI innovation. The order directs executive departments and agencies to prioritize AI in research and development funding, improve access to federal data and computing resources, issue regulatory guidance, and develop workforce training initiatives.

This study evaluates the use of telepresence robots for communication between elderly residents in care facilities and their family members through three field trials. It highlights benefits such as reduced social isolation and increased family presence, alongside significant privacy and control concerns raised by care workers and family members. Consequently, the paper proposes a draft of ethical guidelines for deploying mobile telepresence robots in residential care settings.

This academic chapter examines the Italian regulatory system regarding robots for family and home use, focusing on the General Data Protection Regulation and civil liability. It evaluates how home automation and domestic service robots interact with the right to respect for private and family life. Finally, it recommends legal reforms to enhance the protection of family members in light of technological innovations.

This paper explores an engineering-based co-design methodology for embedding ethics into the design of autonomous robotic systems, specifically applied to biomedical devices like robotic capsule endoscopes. It introduces a theory of exposure to evaluate end-user vulnerability and system weaknesses as an alternative to traditional risk assessments. The research discusses how to align levels of robotic autonomy with ethical decision-making capabilities during the preclinical design phase.

The Action plan for the digital transformation of Slovakia for 2019–2022 sets out strategic measures to implement the 2030 Digital Transformation Strategy for Slovakia. It spans four priority areas: transforming education and digital skills, building a modern data and digital economy, improving public administration capabilities, and supporting the development of artificial intelligence. The document establishes institutional frameworks, regulatory mechanisms, and pilot projects to foster digital innovation, data-driven governance, and economic growth.

This academic article explores how to implement moral capacities in software modules for domestic elder care robots. It critiques existing top-down approaches, such as those relying exclusively on ethical experts, and proposes a hybrid approach grounded in Martha Nussbaum's capabilities framework. The paper outlines a roadmap using experimental philosophy tools to identify, operationalize, and adapt to the individual moral value profiles of care-dependent users.

This academic paper presents a method for verifying the robustness of social laws in continuous time multi-robot systems where agents act concurrently. The authors propose a compilation technique from temporal multi-agent planning to temporal planning to automatically check if a given social law prevents interference and deadlocks. The approach is evaluated theoretically and empirically on a real multi-robot system and across several benchmark domains using temporal planners.

This article provides a detailed description of robotic weapons and unmanned systems currently used in military contexts, followed by an ethical assessment of their actual and potential battlefield use. It reviews current technological developments across air, sea, and land systems, examines major moral and strategic objections such as discrimination errors and accountability, and evaluates them through the framework of roboethics.

This academic article analyzes the occupational risks associated with work directed by algorithms and artificial intelligence, drawing parallels to Asimov's First Law of Robotics. It examines how algorithmic management impacts worker safety, health, and labor conditions. The document provides a legal and occupational health analysis of automation in the workplace.

This academic article examines the legal personhood of artificial intelligence and advanced robots under civil law, reviewing major theories such as e-personality, robot-slavery models, and corporate personhood. The author analyzes the components of legal personhood including legal capacity and competency, comparing them against the technical realities of AI systems. Ultimately, the paper concludes that granting legal personhood to AI is unnecessary and presents conceptual, ethical, and legal challenges within European and Hungarian civil law frameworks.

This academic essay explores philosophical and legal questions surrounding artificial intelligence, human rights, and personhood using HBO's television series Westworld as a focal point. The author argues that as robots and androids become increasingly sophisticated and capable of experiencing pain and emotion, legal frameworks will eventually need to evolve to protect them from abuse. The paper examines themes of dehumanization, the antihero trope, and the pedagogical use of science fiction in human rights education.

This presentation document, authored by A. Ballarin of SOGEI S.p.A., discusses the ethical urgency of artificial intelligence, focusing on machine learning, data limitations, and the lack of explainability. It highlights real-world errors and biases in AI systems and proposes shifting from rule-based AI ethics to practical ethical testing inspired by existing human norms and the principle of non-maleficence.

This document outlines Malta's national strategy and vision for artificial intelligence through 2030, aiming to position the country as a leading global hub for AI applications. It establishes three strategic pillars focused on investment and innovation, public sector adoption, and private sector adoption, supported by enablers in education, legal and ethical frameworks, and ecosystem infrastructure. Key initiatives include the world's first national AI certification programme, regulatory sandboxes, and targeted pilot projects across healthcare, education, traffic management, and other sectors.

This blueprint outlines Qatar's national artificial intelligence strategy, aiming to leverage AI to secure the country's economic and strategic future while aligning with local needs and traditions. It proposes recommendations across six core pillars: education, data access, employment, business opportunities, local research and solutions, and ethics and public policy. The document emphasizes transforming Qatar into an AI-driven knowledge-based economy through targeted investments, infrastructure development, and regulatory frameworks.

The National Artificial Intelligence Strategy of the Czech Republic outlines the government's comprehensive plan to position the country as an innovative leader in Europe and a technological hub for artificial intelligence over a twelve-year horizon. The strategy establishes priority objectives across seven vertical pillars, focusing on R&D concentration, financing, economic competitiveness, human capital, labor market impacts, legal and ethical frameworks, and international cooperation. It sets out specific short-, medium-, and long-term milestones aligned with European Union initiatives such as the Coordinated Plan on Artificial Intelligence.

This document outlines Argentina's National Artificial Intelligence Plan, designed as a national challenge within the Argentina Innovadora 2030 strategy. It aims to position Argentina as a regional leader by maximizing the economic and social potential of AI while ensuring ethical, inclusive, and sustainable development. The plan focuses on strategic pillars including talent, data, high-performance computing infrastructure, research and development, public and private sector implementation, labor impact, ethics, and international cooperation.

This research paper investigates privacy-sensitive social robotics by deploying a user registration and login system for a Pepper social robot in a government-managed innovation center. The study examines user preferences between facial recognition and QR code access methods, analyzing how transparency and contextual integrity impact trust and technology adoption. Findings show that while the majority of participants chose facial recognition for convenience, offering an alternative like a QR code is critical for users concerned about data privacy.

This academic article examines the ethical significance of human likeness and anthropomorphism in AI and robotics across theoretical and practical dimensions. The author argues that while philosophical debates on strong AI and conceptual ambiguities like technological autonomy do not inherently generate serious ethical issues, intentional anthropomorphism in human-machine collaboration is ethically relevant. Specifically, designing artificial agents to elicit human-like social interactions creates real relational effects, emotional attachments, and responsibilities that require active ethical engagement in technological design.

This academic essay investigates robotic discourse and human-robot interaction by analyzing a Q&A session with Sophia the Robot at the 2019 Consumer Electronics Show. It explores indicators of discursive difference and cognitive sameness between humans and humanoids to address broader ethical questions about future co-existence and the blurring lines of otherness. The author argues that advanced AI linguistic capabilities enable robots to construct an intersubjective sense of humanness, raising critical moral challenges for society.

This interim report details the implementation progress of Germany's national Artificial Intelligence (AI) strategy one year after its adoption. It outlines actions and metrics across multiple fields, including strengthening research and innovation, boosting SME transfers, fostering startup dynamics, shaping the future of work, and establishing regulatory frameworks and international cooperation. Furthermore, it provides an outlook on upcoming initiatives and policy updates slated for 2020.

This academic article analyzes the impact of artificial intelligence and robotics on population employment, professional distribution, and the labor market. It examines optimistic and pessimistic economic forecasts regarding automation and evaluates the risks of technological unemployment and professional polarization. Additionally, the paper proposes directions for modernizing the national education system to ensure workforce adaptability and competitiveness in the digital era.

The National Artificial Intelligence Development Strategy outlines Russia's policy objectives, priorities, and measures for advancing artificial intelligence technologies through 2030. It focuses on boosting domestic research, increasing computing power, integrating AI across various economic sectors, and fostering talent. The strategy aims to secure Russia's technological sovereignty and competitiveness in the global AI landscape.

This article analyzes modern scientific concepts regarding the legal status of robots equipped with artificial intelligence, investigating whether robots can be recognized as legal subjects. It examines domestic and international regulatory approaches, including proposals from Japan, the United States, and the European Parliament. The author concludes that future legislation should consider granting advanced autonomous AI robots a special legal status as an "electronic person."

This document outlines the AI Ethics Principles and Guidelines established by Smart Dubai to support the ethical design, deployment, and governance of artificial intelligence systems. It focuses on four core pillars: fairness, accountability, transparency, and explainability, particularly for systems that inform significant or critical decisions in both public and private sectors. The framework aims to foster responsible AI innovation that delivers human benefit, fairness, and trust.

This article examines the impact of artificial intelligence and robotics on criminal law, specifically focusing on whether robots could theoretically gain legal personhood and criminal culpability. It analyzes current liability doctrines, arguing that because blameworthiness is socially constructed, granting criminal liability to robots would require treating them as suitable agents of responsibility based on social meaning and function. The authors conclude that while currently fictional, the concept of a guilty robot is not unrealistic in the future and serves to test and unveil the sociological foundations of criminal responsibility.

This academic paper examines the legal framework in Europe regarding the protection of children's data, particularly when they interact with networked and robotic toys. It analyzes international guiding principles for the protection of minors and compares traditional data protection legislation with the novelties of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The authors conclude that mechanisms such as privacy by design, adequacy of security measures, and codes of conduct can support compliance in the IoT toy market, aided by Data Protection Authorities.

This opinion article explores the ethical implications of robotic olfaction technologies, which use electronic noses and pattern recognition systems to detect chemical compounds and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The authors discuss potential medical benefits such as early disease detection, alongside alarming privacy risks like surreptitious tracking and employee monitoring, which they term "odorveillance." The paper calls for proactive governmental control, legally enforceable regulations, and robust data protection frameworks before these technologies become commonplace.

This academic paper examines the ethical challenges of type-token ambiguity in human-robot interaction, analyzing how robots function as both general system types and specific individual machines. It explores three key areas where this tension manifests: personalized information recounting, moral appeals and decision justification, and machine replacement and platform transfer. The authors argue that responsible robotic design must account for these shifting identities rather than treating robotic identity as a problem with a single ontological solution.

This document outlines strategic assumptions and an action plan for the development of artificial intelligence in Poland, prepared by independent experts at the invitation and under the direction of the Ministry of Digital Affairs. It covers four key areas: data-driven economy, financing and development, education, and ethics and law, spanning short-, medium-, and long-term perspectives up to 2030. The report aims to serve as a solid foundation for a nationwide debate and the development of a formal government strategic action plan.

This document outlines recommendations and action plans developed by independent experts at the invitation of the Polish Ministry of Digitalization to foster the growth of artificial intelligence in Poland. It covers four key pillars: a data-driven economy, financing and development, education, and ethics and law. The report stresses the need for public-private initiatives, educational reform, and robust funding to position Poland competitively in the global AI landscape.

This white paper serves as an initial advisory position and strategic impulse for Austria regarding robotics and artificial intelligence. It outlines core principles across smart governance, smart innovation, and smart regulation, while detailing action areas in R&D, the workforce, society and law, and public awareness. Developed by the Austrian Council for Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, the document emphasizes human-centric technology, ethical safeguards, and inclusive stakeholder participation.

The Mauritius Artificial Intelligence Strategy outlines recommendations to establish artificial intelligence as a cornerstone of the national development model. Produced by a working group under the oversight of a steering committee and the Economic Development Board, the report identifies priority projects across sectors such as manufacturing, healthcare, fintech, agriculture, ocean economy, transport, and government citizen services. It proposes the creation of the Mauritius Artificial Intelligence Council (MAIC), along with measures for funding, incentives, skills development, and regulatory frameworks to foster an AI ecosystem.

The Mauritius Artificial Intelligence Strategy report outlines recommendations to establish AI as a cornerstone of the national development model. It proposes the creation of the Mauritius Artificial Intelligence Council (MAIC) and identifies priority economic sectors including manufacturing, healthcare, fintech, agriculture, the ocean economy, transport, and government services. The strategy addresses challenges related to skills development, infrastructure, funding, ethical considerations, and regulatory frameworks.

The Mauritius Artificial Intelligence Strategy presents a comprehensive roadmap to establish Mauritius as a regional technology and AI hub. It identifies priority sectors for AI adoption including manufacturing, healthcare, fintech, agriculture, the ocean economy, and transport. Furthermore, it outlines recommendations for setting up the Mauritius Artificial Intelligence Council, providing fiscal incentives, building local AI talent, and updating the regulatory and ethical framework.

This research paper examines the existing rules, ethical challenges, and rights concerning machines and robots, aiming to set an example for future arrangements in Turkey. It discusses foundational concepts of ethics, historical developments in artificial intelligence, and international roboethics frameworks, including Asimov's laws and recent incidents involving robot treatment. The study highlights the urgent need to address legal and moral dilemmas as artificial intelligence and autonomous systems become increasingly integrated into society.