Will Robots Ever Be Human?
Picture a future where robots seamlessly integrate into your daily life. You wake up next to your personal robot companion, who’s been monitoring your sleep patterns and gently wakes you at the perfect moment. It expertly brews your morning coffee, effortlessly selects the most stylish outfit from your closet, and chauffeurs you to a restaurant where you eat delicious dishes that have received no human touch.
This is a glimpse into the future that may soon be at hand. Let’s ignore the implications for society, jobs, and human interaction for a second. Instead, let’s focus on the side character in this story: your loyal robot companion.
How should that robot companion be treated? Is it a machine that its owner is free to abuse however much they want? Or is it, in essence, a human — treated with dignity and respect, if one ignores its metal limbs. Is it even an “it” at all, or should I be using “they” instead?
There are many approaches to these questions. Depending on your perspective, depending on whether you’re approaching this question from a legal, economic, or philosophical lens, answers will vary.
In this blog, I’m seeking to approach these questions from what is simultaneously the simplest and most complicated perspective: philosophy.
The Concept of Natural Rights
In the realm of philosophy, discussions about rights often begin with the concept of natural rights. These are fundamental rights believed to be inherent to human beings.
What makes humans deserving of these rights? Answers vary. In my mind, I believe that natural rights stem from the idea that every human life is precious and finite, and that every human has a spark of divinity inside of them that makes everyone of us capable of being reasoning, intelligent creatures.
But where does this leave robots? Certainly, AI technology will one day develop to a point where AI-powered thoughts, logic, and expression of emotion will be indistinguishable from humans. We may even code a sense of morality into these systems. But there will be a crucial difference: robots, by their very nature, will lack the mortality that underscores the preciousness of human existence.
In that vision of the future, will robots not be deserving of natural rights, simply because they’re more hardy than our own squishy, mortal bodies? That doesn’t seem right to me.
Indeed, perhaps my justification for human deserving natural rights is fundamentally flawed. After all, taking my line of argumentation to its natural conclusion would imply that humanity ever develops technology that makes humans immortal, the moral imperative for encouraging universal human rights would suddenly end.
The problem is, other frameworks that justify why humans deserve natural rights don’t avoid such contradictions or problems, either. For instance, the idea that it stems from sentience poses similar complexities. At what point in development does an AI program become sentient? For that matter, are animals (like pigs, which we allow to be treated terribly in factory farms) sentient, and thus deserving of natural rights?
The complexities quickly abound.
Reevaluating the Criteria for Rights
The emergence of artificial intelligence and robots challenges us to reassess the criteria we use to determine who is deserving of rights and protections. Should our ethical framework be rigidly tethered to the finiteness of life, or can it adapt to accommodate beings that exhibit the qualities we hold dear — intelligence, empathy, and moral reasoning — without being mortal?
One alternative perspective suggests that we should extend rights and protections to beings based on their capacity for sentience, consciousness, and moral agency, rather than fixating on the ephemeral nature of their existence. This viewpoint argues that if a robot can think, feel, and act ethically, it may warrant a set of rights tailored to its unique attributes.
However, this approach is similarly not without its challenges. Determining the true nature of robot consciousness, emotions, and ethical decision-making remains a complex endeavor. We must also grapple with the potential consequences of treating robots as if they were human. Would such recognition lead to ethical dilemmas, such as the moral responsibilities of robot creators and owners? Would that stunt potential economic growth? Imagine a scenario where a family could be lifted out of poverty through the wonders of automation, but robots’ full potential isn’t realized due to the implementation of shift breaks.
In the end, the question of whether robots will ever be treated as humans and granted human rights is not a simple one. It requires a reexamination of our fundamental beliefs about what it means to be human and the basis for extending rights to individuals. As technology continues to advance, the line between humans and robots may blur further, demanding that we confront these philosophical questions with openness, nuance, and a commitment to safeguarding the dignity and worth of all intelligent beings. These questions and definitions will be the subject of much intellectual discussion and serious thought.
Quite frankly, I’m not prepared to truly dive deep into this conversation in this blog. But I do know this: we must not avoid or shy away from these questions.
