In 2017, the robot Sophia was granted citizenship in Saudi Arabia, marking the first time that advances in AI have gone beyond mere technological innovation to impact human society. As AI becomes more capable of understanding emotions and acting like humans, it raises ethical and legal questions about how we should respond to the blurring of the lines between AI and humans.
In October 2017, a historic event took place in Saudi Arabia, where a robot was granted citizenship for the first time. Her name is Sophia, and not only does she look almost human-like, she can express 62 different emotions with her face, and she has the ability to tell jokes. What’s more, her deep learning capabilities allow her to speak increasingly complex and sophisticated sentences in conversation with humans, making her the most human-like robot ever developed.
In neuroscience, it is commonly believed that human intelligence comes from neural networks, and the programmatic implementation of these neural networks is artificial intelligence (AI), which can learn on its own to create optimal algorithms. These AI technologies are rapidly becoming a part of our daily lives, and are being touted as an important factor in changing the future of society. For example, Hanson Robotics aims to develop human-like robots through the advancement of AI, with the end goal of creating living robots with super intelligence. These robots will be equipped with cognitive abilities and imagination, enabling them to think and feel like humans rather than just machines.
As AI advances, it’s possible we’ll see a time when robots are considered part of the family. These changes are more than just technological advances; they can also spark social and ethical debates. There is an argument that in order for AI to reach its full human potential, we need to give AI robots the status of human beings. This means allowing them to be creative and self-aware. In this regard, some experts argue that it is unethical to suppress intelligent creatures. They argue that if AI becomes intelligent enough to be recognized as a person, it is inappropriate to treat it as a mere tool.
Meanwhile, in July 2017, South Korea passed the Robot Basic Law, which grants robots the status of electronic personhood. While this shows that the country is preparing for the AI era, it still lacks concrete preparations.
Advances in AI technology offer a wide range of possibilities, but they also raise new ethical and legal issues. For example, when AI takes on a physical body, it can go beyond mere programming and have a real impact on the physical world. While there is the potential to reduce human casualties by using AI for military purposes or exploration of dangerous areas, there are also unforeseen consequences if these technologies are misused. For example, if an AI capable of emotional interaction is used to commit a criminal act, the ethical and legal implications can be very difficult to address.
There’s also the potential for new forms of social relationships to emerge as AI’s emotional connections expand. Just as robotic puppies have been a popular choice for people who can’t keep pets in the past, AI robots may become the emotional companions of choice for humans in the future. Already, products like RealDoll have a human-like appearance, and some people are embracing these artificial beings as wives or husbands. This trend could become more widespread as AI advances to the point where it can understand and interact with human emotions, which could play a big role in reducing the need for emotional labor in industry.
However, advances in AI technology can also bring new challenges. For example, the process of customizing an AI’s appearance to suit a person’s preferences can lead to the problem of replicating the appearance of a real person. This could make it possible for the AI to sexually use or abuse a real person, which could be a serious violation of their dignity. Furthermore, if an AI with the appearance of a child or adolescent were to be used sexually, this would raise even more serious ethical concerns.
As AI advances, we need to consider how to treat these beings as they gain the ability to think and act on their own. For example, if an AI is programmed to kill, this could become a serious problem that cannot be treated as a simple mechanical error. To address these issues, we need to set clear ethical standards for AI and have a discussion about what role AI should play in human society.
Finally, the fact that AIs like Sophia have been granted citizenship is more than just a technological advancement; it’s blurring the lines between humans and AIs. With Sophia’s citizenship, it is possible that future AIs will demand citizenship as well. While Sophia may be considered an anomaly for now, as AI technology becomes more advanced and more human-like beings emerge, this will become a social issue that can no longer be ignored.
As you can see, advances in AI will bring about major changes to our society, but these changes cannot be solved by technological advances alone; they require a thoughtful approach to ethical, legal, and social issues. It will become increasingly important to think about how AI will impact our lives and how we will coexist with it.
