#Robots: MEPs consider the legal and ethical ramifications of robotic revolution

EU rules for the fast-evolving field of robotics, to settle issues such as compliance with ethical standards and liability for accidents involving driverless cars, should be put forward by the EU Commission, urged the Legal Affairs Committee on Thursday (12 January).

Luxembourgish MEP Mady Delvaux (social democrat) said: “A growing number of areas of our daily lives are increasingly affected by robotics. In order to address this reality and to ensure that robots are and will remain in the service of humans, we urgently need to create a robust European legal framework”. Her report, approved by 17 votes to 2, with 2 abstentions, looks at robotics-related issues such as liability, safety and changes in the labour market.

Delvaux-Stehres said: “The idea of millions of intelligent robots still sounds to most of us like something from a dystopian science fiction novel. As computer processing speeds continue to increase at an ever-faster rate, this will quickly become the reality. Robots will become part of our daily life.  This is going to have as profound an effect on our societies as the industrial revolution. We need to think urgently about the legal, ethical and societal ramifications of this new robotic revolution. It is important that we as politicians make sure that robots will at all times serve humans. This report is the start of that process.

MEPs stress that EU-wide rules are needed to fully exploit the economic potential of robotics and artificial intelligence and guarantee a standard level of safety and security. The EU needs to take the lead on regulatory standards, so as not to be forced to follow those set by third states, argues the report.

A new European Agency for robotics and a Code of Ethical Conduct

MEPs urge the Commission to consider creating a European agency for robotics and artificial intelligence to supply public authorities with technical, ethical and regulatory expertise.

They also propose a voluntary ethical conduct code to regulate who would be accountable for the social, environmental and human health impacts of robotics and ensure that they operate in accordance with legal, safety and ethical standards.

For example, this code should recommend that robot designers include “kill” switches so that robots can be turned off in emergencies, they add.

Liability rules

MEPs note that harmonised rules are especially urgently needed for self-driving cars. They call for an obligatory insurance scheme and a fund to ensure victims are fully compensated in cases of accidents caused by driverless cars.

In the long-term, the possibility of creating a specific legal status of “electronic persons” for the most sophisticated autonomous robots, so as to clarify responsibility in cases of damage, should also be considered, MEPs say.

Social impact

The development of robotics could also result in big societal changes, including the creation and loss of jobs in certain fields, says the text. It urges the Commission to follow these trends closely and advocates on new employment models and the viability of the current tax and social system for robotics.

Request for legislation

This legislative initiative invites the Commission to present a legislative proposal. It is not obliged to do so, but must state its reasons if it refuses.

Strengthens the case for a basic income

Delvaux argues that “it is urgent that we look at new models to manage society in a world where robots do more and more of the work. One idea adopted in this report is to look at a universal basic income – where everyone would receive a wage from the government whether they are in work or not. This revolution can bring huge benefits to our societies – new jobs in research and innovation, robots performing dangerous tasks currently done by humans, lower risk of car accidents by excluding human error and smarter energy consumption. However, we need to make sure these benefits outweigh the challenges. In particular, we on the left need to ensure that the robotic revolution does not mean greater unemployment and an even greater gap between rich and poor in our societies.”

Next steps

The full house will vote on the draft proposals in February, which will need to be approved by absolute majority according to the legislative initiative procedure.

Background

The resolution is based on a report prepared by a Working Group on legal questions related to the development of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, established in January 2015.