MBR_ISSUE 40_Lowres

Malta Business Review
EDUCATION
Continued from page 14
and computers, effective policy responses to
job loss will need to start first with education
and then move to income redistribution as
automation becomes more advanced.
MBR: We hear a lot about robots in
professional contexts but let’s talk about
this technology’s social implications. Can
robots become our friends? What role will
robots have in human societies, especially
outside of jobs?
Stuart and Dirk: This question goes beyond
the study and the current state of computer
technology. However, we know that people
have emotional reactions to objects like dolls
and to animals with more limited behaviour
than humans. There are also anecdotes
about people having emotional reactions
to simple computer conversational systems
like Amazon’s Alexa or Apple’s Siri. So there
is no question that people will develop
emotional reactions to robots as their
behaviour becomes increasingly complex and
responsive. At some point, it will be natural to
see our extended relationships with particular
robots as allowing a kind of friendship. This is a
theme that’s often been addressed in science
fiction, but the reality is a long way away.
MBR: Saudi Arabia recently gave citizenship
to a female robot named Sophia. How will
giving citizenship to robots change society’s
rules, such as human/ robot rights? Should
governments start drafting up legislations
that deal with robots?
Stuart and Dirk: At this stage of the technology,
giving citizenship to a robot is a publicity stunt
that trivializes the serious issues involved.
Someday there are likely to be robots that are
so self-reflective that they will describe their
reasoning and goals the same way humans do.
When that happens, we shall need to decide
whether to treat those robots legally as having
a kind of self-interest comparable to humans.
That decision involves difficult scientific and
moral issues that will be hard to work through,
but we are not there yet.
It might be helpful for
parents to focus on a set
of more fundamental
skills that have been
important throughout
human history: the skills
of developing passionate
interests, building strong
individual relationships,
and participating actively
in groups.
On a more practical side, however, it’s
already time for legislation to start to address
the responsibilities of autonomous robots
and computers, such as self-driving cars,
automated trading systems or computer
personal assistants. Increasingly, such systems
are making decisions that only humans have
made in the past. There will be many practical
areas where legislation related to actions by
robots and computers will be needed.
“Someday there are likely to be robots that are
so self-reflective that they will describe their
reasoning and goals the same way humans
do. When that happens, we shall need to
decide whether to treat those robots legally
as having a kind of self-interest comparable to
humans.” — Elliott/Van Damme
MBR: Are we equating robots to humans
too much?
Stuart and Dirk: We are nowhere close to
robots being equal to humans, so it’s still
science fiction to think about robot friendships
or citizenship. However, most work tasks do
not require full human capabilities, so we do
need to start to think about the possibility of
robots and computers substituting for many
human workers.
MBR: Can you foresee a world where robots,
AI, automation, algorithms, 3D printing, and
all these interrelated advances, cause such
an enormous disruption in employment for
human beings that our entire economic system
will need to be transformed? For instance, a
world that will require a basic incomes policy
and in which a very significant portion of the
population will not be employed?
Stuart and Dirk: Absolutely. The primary
question is whether such large-scale
employment disruption is only a few
decades away or whether it will not appear
for a century or more. If most skills are like
the three skills we analysed in the study,
then such disruption is probably only a few
decades away. But we simply don’t know if
that’s the case because we have not analysed
other types of skills.
Whenever the disruption comes, it will
require difficult changes to the structure
of the economy, involving something like a
universal basic income. It’s too soon for the
public to worry about this or for governments
to enact basic income policies. However, we
should be working harder to figure out how
soon large-scale employment disruption will
occur and exactly what income policies will be
needed when the time comes. MBR
Credit: Stuart Elliott, C. M. Rubin, Dirk Van Damme
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