Is granting robots rights a bad idea?
31 May 2023
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As robots continue to take on diverse roles in our world, a new analysis challenges the notion of granting rights to robots and proposes an alternative approach inspired by Confucianism.
Tae Wan Kim, Associate Professor of Business Ethics at CMU's Tepper School of Business, who conducted the analysis, states, "People are worried about the risks of granting rights to robots.
"Granting rights is not the only way to address the moral status of robots: envisioning robots as rites bearers – not as rights bearers – could work better."
While many argue that respecting robots should lead to the extension of rights, Kim proposes a different viewpoint, influenced by Confucianism. This ancient Chinese belief system emphasises the social value of achieving harmony.
It asserts that the distinctively human nature of individuals arises from their ability to consider interests not only in terms of personal self-interest, but also in terms that include a relational and communal self.
This perspective necessitates a unique understanding of rites, whereby individuals enhance their moral character through participation in proper rituals.
Applying this framework to robots, Kim argues that assigning roles, or what he terms "role obligations", to robots is more appropriate than granting them rights. The concept of rights often involves adversarial and competitive elements, raising concerns about potential conflicts between humans and robots.
"Assigning role obligations to robots encourages teamwork, which triggers an understanding that fulfilling those obligations should be done harmoniously," explains Kim.
"Artificial intelligence (AI) imitates human intelligence, so for robots to develop as rites bearers, they must be powered by a type of AI that can imitate humans' capacity to recognise and execute team activities – and a machine can learn that ability in various ways."
Kim acknowledges that some will question why robots should be treated with respect in the first place. "To the extent that we make robots in our image, if we don't treat them well, as entities capable of participating in rites, we degrade ourselves," he suggests.
Various non-natural entities – such as corporations – are considered people and even assume some Constitutional rights. In addition, humans are not the only species with moral and legal status; in most developed societies, moral and legal considerations preclude researchers from gratuitously using animals for lab experiments.
By re-evaluating the perspective on robot rights through a Confucian lens and emphasising role obligations, this analysis encourages a deeper exploration of how we can ethically engage with robots while preserving our own moral integrity.