1st Edition

Ethics and Security Automata Policy and Technical Challenges of the Robotic Use of Force

By Sean Welsh Copyright 2018
230 Pages 30 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

230 Pages 30 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

230 Pages 30 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

Can security automata (robots and AIs) make moral decisions to apply force on humans correctly? If they can make such decisions, ought they be used to do so? Will security automata increase or decrease aggregate risk to humans? What regulation is appropriate? Addressing these important issues this book examines the political and technical challenges of the robotic use of force. The book... Read more

Introduction

Chapter 1: Concepts

Chapter 2: Method

Chapter 3: Requirements

Chapter 4: Solution Design

Chapter 5: Development – Specific Norm Tests

Chapter 6: Development – Knowledge Representation

Chapter 7: Development – Basic Physical Needs Cases

Chapter 8: Development – Fairness and Autonomy Cases

Chapter 9: Moral Variation

Chapter 10: Testing

Chapter 11: Production

Biography

Sean Welsh obtained his undergraduate degree in Philosophy at the University of New South Wales and underwent postgraduate study in Robot Ethics at the University of Canterbury. He has worked in extensively in software development for British Telecommunications, Telstra Australia, Volante e-business, Fitch Ratings, James Cook University, 24 Hour Communications and Lumata. He also worked for a short time as a political advisor to Warren Entsch, the Federal Member for Leichhardt in Australia. Sean’s articles on robot ethics have appeared in the Conversation, CNN, the Sydney Morning Herald, the New Zealand Herald and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"A timely and unusually readable contribution to machine ethics – the project of making moral decisions in machines – Ethics and Security Automata provides an accessible overview as to how machines might make foundational moral decisions that affect human beings in a range of situations in war and peace. It is remarkable for its clarity and its ethical even-handedness. A book that is both technically and ethically interesting. Highly recommended." - Dr. Jai Galliott, Lecturer in Cyber Security, The University of New South Wales at the Australian Defence Force Academy

"This book is a "must read" for anybody responsible for programming, supplying and deploying autonomous military and security robots. It is also recommended for a general audience. With clear and comprehensible discussion and detailed case analyses, Sean Welsh presents issues that many view as impenetrable, or scary, in a practical, constructive and highly enlightening manner. As James Moor, a pioneer of robot ethics, once said, machine ethics forces us to do a better, clearer, programmable ethical theory: Ethics and Security Automata is a fine example of this project carried out in practical detail." - Dr. Peter Boltuc, Professor of Philosophy, University of Illinois Springfield