Topic > Discussion on the morality or ethics of robots

The 21st century is the era of modern technologies and scientific progress, every field of science, especially robotics, has developed a lot in recent years, notable examples of these are the chess-playing robots AlphaZero and the social humanoid robot Sophia. Thanks to great improvements in robotics, these machines can perform different types of tasks and are consequently used for more and more purposes. But in some cases it can raise several problems, many scientists have expressed their ideas on these issues and Noel Sharkey, professor of computer science at the University of Sheffield was no exception. In his article The ethical frontiers of robotics Sharkey discusses two main categories of robots, the first intended for the care of children and the elderly and the second which can be used in the military sector. According to Sharkey the growing demand for service robots has caused important developments and given these machines the opportunity to become more mobile and sociable, as a result they can replace humans in many types of jobs, however the article states that the Using robots for assistance or military purposes is against humanity. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay I personally consider Sharkey's ideas to be very important and think they should be taken into consideration before making significant decisions in the field of robotics. Artificial intelligence allows robots to develop some aspects of human characteristics, such as linguistic interaction or the expression of emotions. It allowed them to replace humans in the process of caring for children. If we are only talking about short-term exposure, then they have some advantages over humans, because they can engage children with video or verbal quiz games that are very fun, in most cases children even prefer them to a traditional teddy bear. But we don't know what long-term exposure can cause, perhaps social isolation can cause serious psychological problems, unfortunately we are not able to provide experiments on children to find and study all the consequences, but studies on early development in monkeys support the idea that a lack of social relationships can be the cause of psychological dysfunction. My personal experience shows me that it is very important for children to grow up in a stable social environment, otherwise it can have incorrigible outcomes. I have seen many examples of what communication gaps can cause in newborns, so I wholeheartedly agree with Sharkey's point that there is no way robots can provide adequate care for babies. Sharkey draws attention to sophisticated elder care robots. These types of robots can help seniors perform many tasks, for example they can feed them, wash and rinse clothes, deliver messages or even remind them to take medicine. These robots can help seniors maintain independence in their homes. At first glance, these machines have many advantages over human healthcare workers. But the elderly also need social communication that cannot be provided by robots. Only normal caregivers can guarantee adequate social relationships, which are essential for the elderly. Additionally, the article describes robots marketed as pets with the ability to mimic some characteristics of pets. But neither these toys nor the robots that take care of them can alleviate the loneliness and social isolation of the elderly. They need a lot more attention and support than these types of machines can provide, so I think their.