Wheel of Topics #31

Ever heard of the "Asimov's Laws"? Maybe not under this name. They are the three laws of robotics, as stated by Isaac Asimov in his many science fiction novels and short stories. The three laws state that:

1. A robot may not harm a human or, by his inaction, allow a human to be harmed
2. A robot must obey an order given by any human unless it conflict with the first law
3. A robot must protect himself from damage unless it conflict with the first or second laws

Those laws were created by Asimov as a reaction to the trend in robot stories in the past. Most stories about robot in the 30's followed a basic "Frankenstein"(as Asimov used to say) plot where the guy would create an advance machine only to get destroyed by it. If the the research for knowledge is such a risk, why not use that same knowledge to protect ourself. Depending on when in the Asimov timeline the stories exist, those laws go from simple mathematical safeguard for basic robots to literally a way of life(figure of speech) for the most advanced humanoids robots.

Although those laws are fundamentally right, a few problem come for their use. For a robot to obey them, he must be able understand each part of it. What is a human? Even for us it's not clear. We can see what is a human, but try to describe it. What is harm? Easier to describe but where are the limits to it. If you stay under the sun for too long, it can be harmful, but will you stop going outside because of that. If it is hard to define and delimit the first law for ourself, trying to program it for a machine would need technology and programing skill that are presently well beyond our capacity.

The fact that they have some flaws doesn't change the fact that they are good. They make good sci-fi stories, and in time could become a possible safeguard system for future robot. Only time can tell.

Grim the pirate