Robot Rights?
Serena Wong

27 February 2018

Saudi Arabia, a country not known for progressive women's rights, recently granted the female robot Sophia citizenship. The company behind Sophia has capitalized on this opportunity, as Sophia has become an advocate for women's rights.

As Sophia doesn't have any "rights" herself, does it make sense for her to be advocating for the rights of others? At a more basic and perhaps pressing level, with the increase in robots and AI around us, should we consider granting robots rights? Some argue that this ought to be an open question, to be revisited with real sentience in robots. Others argue that robots don't have free will, simply doing what they've been designed to do by human programmers, and thus don't need rights or citizenship.

Read more here: https://futurism.com/saudi-arabia-made-robot-citizen-calling-womens-rights/

Comments (1)


Harold G. Neuman's picture

Harold G. Neuman

Tuesday, February 27, 2018 -- 12:01 PM

Well, perhaps we ought to do

Well, perhaps we ought to do as well for the Darwin machines? Gerald Edelman (1929-2014) would be proud! (Read Edelman's SECOND NATURE, if you are interested---pretty good book.)