How to make an ethical machine and why we probably shouldn't

In this talk, Professor Alan Winfield will outline experimental work to build simple ethical robots, then explain why real-world ethical machines are almost certainly a bad idea.

The field of machine ethics is concerned with making moral machines. In this talk Alan will describe experimental work to build and demonstrate simple Asimovian ethical robots. But we should also be concerned with the ethics of ethical machines. Further experimental work has shown that it can be surprisingly easy to subvert an ethical robot so that it behaves unethically. This and other considerations lead to the conclusion that it would be unwise to build and deploy real-world moral machines.

Alan Winfield is professor of Robot Ethics with the Department of Engineering, Design and Mathematics from the University of West of England, conducts research in Cognitive Robotics within the Bristol Robotics Lab.

He is a member of the Science Communication Unit, and undertakes public engagement work centred upon robotics. Robot ethics is a significant focus of his current work, including the development of new standards.

All welcome - admission free. Tea & biscuits. Donations welcome.