This morning I stumbled over a newspaper report about the Campaign To Stop Killer Robots. Since I started my PhD in Human Robot Interaction where my interests are clearly focused on the disruption robots will have in the society, I followed this campaign and I think it’s my duty to write and think about this subject.

For many people robots are still SciFi. If we look at the reality we can see that robots create emotions and some types of robots create the feeling they are really alive [Kate Karling, re:publica 2013]. On the other hand, fully autonomous defence systems like the Phalanx CIWS are used without any human interference.

I believe scientists, companies and politicians must carefully think about how they want our future to be. And think if it is a good idea to move the power of decisions from humans to computer systems.

If YOU want to create and design a robot or better fully autonomous computer system make yourself confortable with the “PRINCIPLES OF ROBOTICS REGULATING ROBOTS IN THE REAL WORLD” written in 2010 by EPSRC and AHRC.

UPDATE

My supervisor wrote a similar blog entry and I think it is worth sharing with you http://www.bartneck.de/2013/06/09/death-by-robot-who-will-be-to-blame/