There Is No "I" in "Robot"

by Christopher Grau IEEE Intelligent Systems, July/August 2006 In this article, I use the 2004 film "I, Robot" as a philosophical resource for exploring several issues relating to machine ethics. Though I don't consider the film particularly successful as a work of art, it offers a fascinating (and perhaps disturbing) conception of machine morality and raises questions that are well worth pursuing. Through a consideration of the film's plot, I examine the feasibility of robot utilitarians, the moral responsibilities that come with creating ethical robots, and the possibility of a distinct ethic for robot-to-robot interaction as opposed to robot-to-human interaction. Read more