They have one of these now, too?

[Dezzick]

http://www.aspcr.com/

yes, there is an American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Robots.

Getting sued for using a robot in war to stop people from dieing, anyone?

[Ktan]

Q: Are there any artificially created sentient beings to ensure the rights of?

A: Not yet.

Talk about jumping the gun

[Neo]

Interesting organization, though I wonder if they include "all robots" or the as-of-yet not created ones w/emotions and such? O_o

Ahh ok. Thats pretty cool actually. Sort of like a prevention againt pissing the robots off so they turn on us in some kind of bladerunner, matrix, etc... style.

-Kupa

[KexMex]

Great. Now we'll have Bender abusing it in no time.

[Tharisfal]

This organization is 600 years ahead of it's time...

And my feelings towards ASPCR are identical to my feeling towards PETA.

[Schwitzer]

All I can say is that they're going to be a highly successful organisation - you know, preventing something that doesn't even occur and all. ;)

[Aquarian]

Boy, talking about Chobits.

... This same process can and should be extended to robots and other artificial intelligences. They may even make this process easier for us by talking considerately with us and sharing their concerns!


My favourite pharagraph from the website. :D

[Tharisfal]

I also fail to understand why we would make robots that feel pain and can expirience cruelty in the first place? For the fun of it :D ?

[dunchy]

I abuse my coffee pot, does that count as a robot?

[Aquarian]

I abuse my coffee pot, does that count as a robot?

I didn't know physically harming utensils are called robots. :o

[Dezzick]

This is their definition of a robot.



For the ASPCR's purposes, a robot is one that ACTUALLY has intelligence, not just the appearance of such. A robot need need not be in humanoid form, or even in physical form at all, as it is the ASPCR's intent to provide protection for all artificially created intelligences, whether they reside in a metallic humanoid form (the classic robot), in a non-humanoid form (self-aware space stations, for instance), or in non-physical form (a non-localized neural net, for example).

[Zenox]

I bet they're trying to protect themselves from a Terminator like predicament.
Kissing robots asses from now to protect their Offspring from being.. well terminated, i bet since now they started putting their tv's on the couch, then Giving massage chairs massages etc..man they're Good!

[Nahotnoj]

This is absolutely ridiculous. Is it supposed to be a joke???

In the opinion of the ASPCR, once a robot becomes sufficiently self-aware and intelligent to feel discomfort, pain or grief (this would most likely be a cognitive dissonance caused by conflict between a robot's natural intelligent desire and the restrictions or conditions placed upon it),

If it reached this point, I don't think you could really consider it a "Robot" anymore. A robot's natural intelligent desire? According to the three laws of robotics that a sufficiently intelligent... its "natural intelligent desires" would be to do simply what it was made to do.

I guess simply put, a robot doesn't have "free will".

On second thought, I guess I really don't need my automatic vacuum enough to restrict its will. I'll let it do what it really wants - to be a drunken brawler.

[own3d0406]

Finally! A site more nerdy than Warboards! :D

[GrassDragon]

Is it really so hard to recognize satire?

[Wehrmacht]

lol....
the absurdaty of that website and the organization it fronts, its stupid bordering on nuthouse quality.....
what are they gonna do? front a revolt of "emotionally distressed" robots to take over the world? omfg!
I say we light the torches, march down to wherever their HQ is and make a bondfire out of it and see if any robots show up :D
Oh WAIT!
Lets invite Sony's newest robot creation, he can like.. RUN around the bonfire.. cause thats all it can do!

[B.A.Baracus]

Is it really so hard to recognize satire?

Apparently. I cant see this site as being completely serious.

[hammocksleeper]

None of you are really taking it seriously, and judging only by the name it could easily be construed as a satire of the ASPCA. But on a closer look, it's clear that these people are serious and have spent time thinking it out. I think the issue is definitely something to think about. I mean, we don't have any sentient robots now, but imagine if we did. One could easily say, "oh well it's a piece of electronics, and it is my property. I can do what I want with it." But the robot itself will eventually learn about the freedoms it could conceivably have if anyone ever chose to let it have those freedoms.

Eventually, I can imagine a scenario in which, not unlike slaves, the robots lobby the various governments for freedoms. Of course, the governments would laugh in their faces probably.

But what if the population and cognizance of these sentient beings increased to the point where they could actually have a substantial amount of influence over humans (pulling such strings as economic incentives, political connections, and maybe even violence). The governments would have no choice but to extend the sentient robots those freedoms demanded of them. In this way, it's not a moral question ("do these robots have a soul?, and if they don't, then they are unentitled to such rights"), but rather a practical question.

[Schwitzer]

There's been a few movies that touch on the concepts you touch on, hammock. In fact, if you can grab hold of the Animatrix episodes, there's one in there that covers the history of the Matrix.

Summarising, a robot killed a human being (I can't remember exactly why, but I believe it was justified). Humans got terrified by this, and began mass destroying the robots, who reacted by defending themselves with violence. All fantasy of course, but an interesting scenario to consider.

I guess it really comes down to your definition of life. Having sentient robots would raise a lot of complications and concerns. For example, how do you replace an older robot with a newer one? Nowadays no one cares - they're just automatons. But if they gain the ability to cry and whine then there are emotional effects to consider.

Then again, people would probably solve this by not giving industrial robots a consciousness.

[hammocksleeper]

For example, how do you replace an older robot with a newer one? Nowadays no one cares - they're just automatons. But if they gain the ability to cry and whine then there are emotional effects to consider.

Retirement benefits, of course. :) I think my roommate actually has all the Animatrix episodes (I made fun of him for it one time) to I'll have to ask him about that.

[Basan]

To me, it's as almost as this... what we need to think is that we might be generating a new species that will, in given time, compete for the same space we occupy in this world's ecosystem. And that will, sooner or later, end up in some imbalance that Nature will try to level, one way or the other... and I think of it this way, which is more resistant, flesh or some metal alloy? :concern:
To ponder well we must, when making system balance changes such as this... which we, alas, don't make that often as I'd like us to. :P