Issac Asimov has a rival. Luxembourg MEP Mady Delvaux has, together with the European Parliament’s legal service, drawn up her own Laws of Robotics—and the report is eminently sensible, despite alarmist claims.
It makes reference to Asimov’s three laws, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, and Prague’s Golem. “People have fantasised about the possibility of building intelligent machines, more often than not androids with human features; AI seem poised to unleash a new industrial revolution, which is likely to leave no stratum of society untouched, it is vitally important for the legislature to consider all its implications,” the 22-page report said.
Science fiction elements also feature: “Ultimately there is a possibility that within the space of some decades artificial intelligence might surpass human intellectual capacity in a manner which, if not prepared for, could pose a challenge to humanity’s capacity to control its own creation and consequently perhaps also to its capacity to be in charge of its own destiny and to ensure the survival of its species.”
It went on to say that autonomous and semi-autonomous robots don't easily fall into any of the existing legal categories—natural persons, legal persons, animals, or objects—in terms of rights and liabilities. The report calls on the European Commission to propose a common definition of smart autonomous robots. Here's a key passage:
The most sophisticated autonomous robots could be established as having the status of electronic persons with specific rights and obligations, including that of making good any damage they may cause, and applying electronic personality to cases where robots make smart autonomous decisions or otherwise interact with third parties independently.
Critics have seized on that aspect of the report by claiming that it suggests that robots will be given human rights. On the whole, however, the report is a sensible proposal.
Delvaux calls for a “gradualist, pragmatic, cautious approach” and focuses on issues such as liability, intellectual property, data security, health and safety, etc. Examples include the boringly familiar autonomous cars, drones, and medical robots. Human enhancement, on the other hand, gets just one mention.
The report recommends that a register of advanced robots should be set up and notes that the US, Japan, China, and South Korea are considering or have taken some regulatory action on robotics and AI.
“Until such time, if ever, that robots become or are made self-aware, Asimov's laws must be regarded as being directed at the designers, producers, and operators of robots,” the report said.
The proposal isn't legally binding and must be reviewed by various committees before being put to the vote of all 751 MEPs.
Stand down, people: the European Parliament won't be issuing a statement "Welcoming Our Robot Overlords" any time soon.
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