Ethics means life or death for ‘ carebots ’
Ethics means life or death for ‘ carebots ’
A team of North Carolina State University researchers has developed plans for a set of algorithms that could allow a future ‘ carebot ’ to make complex decisions about prioritising the treatment of human patients .
The new algorithms are designed to help incorporate ethical guidelines into artificial intelligence decision-making programs such as virtual assistants known as carebots used in healthcare settings , says the research team .
“ Technologies like carebots are supposed to help ensure the safety and comfort of hospital patients , older adults and other people who require health monitoring or physical assistance ,” says Veljko Dubljević and an Associate Professor in the Science , Technology & Society programme at NCSU . “ In practical terms , this means these technologies will be placed in situations where they need to make ethical judgments .”
Dubljević presents an example in which a carebot is given the task of giving medical assistance to two people . One patient is unconscious but requires urgent care , while the second patient is in less urgent need but demands that the carebot treat him first . What does the carebot do ?
Previous efforts to incorporate ethical decision-making into AI programs have been limited in scope and focused on utilitarian reasoning , which neglects the complexity of moral human decision-making .
“ With the rise of AI and robotics technologies , society needs such collaborative efforts between ethicists and engineers ,” says Dubljević . “ Our future depends on it .”
126 February 2023