Leaked report: European Parliament fears robots will herald the end of humanity

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'Robots ‘could pose a challenge to humanity’s capacity to control its own creation.’

The survival of humanity is at risk because of robots, some members of the European Parliament apparently believe.

The Parliament’s committee on legal affairs lays out fears about the growing pace and use of automation and how the European Commission should prevent an uprising byrobots with an intellect superior to humans, according to a draft of a committee report obtained by POLITICO.

“Ultimately there is a possibility that within the space of some decades [artificial intelligence] might surpass human intellectual capacity in a manner which, if not prepared for, could pose a challenge to humanity’s capacity to control its own creation and consequently perhaps also to its capacity to be in charge of its own destiny and to ensure the survival of its species,” the document shows.

The Commission is trying to promote research and job creation through the use of better and safer robots, which it believes will with alleviate challenges across healthcare, aging, transportation, security and energy. Robotics arepart of the executive body’s plans to delivera digital single market that seeks to break down barriers to internet and digital services among the EU’s 28 member nations. The report lays out a series of recommendations to the Commission on civil law rules on robotics.

The report is being guided through the legal affairs committee by MEP Mady Delvaux and stresses the impact robotics could have on future employment as well as the viability of Europe’s social security system. It also suggests if robots become self-aware then Asimov’s Laws, popularized in the movie “I, Robot,” should be of paramount importance to designers and operators of the machines.

Science fiction author Issac Asimov devised the three laws of robotics in his novels and stated that a robot may not injure a human or allow a human to be harmed, must obey orders by humans and must protect its own existence as long as it doesn’t breach the first two rules.

“The causes of concern also include physical safety, such as when a robot’s code proves fallible and the potential consequences of system failure or hacking of connected robots and robotic systems as increasingly autonomous applications are in use or impending, from cars and drones to care robots and robots used for maintaining public order and policing,” according to the document.

The report was drafted for rapporteur Delvaux, a socialist MEP from Luxembourg. Other parties have yet to give their opinion. The legal affairs committee will vote later this year.

Under the current legal framework, robots cannot be held liable for damage to third parties and therefore the framework requires updating, the document notes.

The Commission must consider “creating a specific legal status for robots, so that at least the most sophisticated autonomous robots can be established as having the status of electronic persons with specific rights and obligations,” the document says.

Also check out The Cambridge Centre for the Study of Existential Risk (CSER)