Moral Imperialism and the Social Dynamics of Human-Robot Interactions

The current discussion in robot ethics is confined to a very narrow subset of the problems that are occurring in human/robot interactions. In particular, consideration of the effects of the interactions between robots and humans on the human operator is almost entirely absent. In this paper, we take a closer look at common interaction patterns between humans and autonomous artefacts (in autonomous driving, eldercare, childcare, and war robots), and analyse them with a view towards understanding the hierarchical relations between the roles of human operator, machine, the machine’s manufacturer, and democratic lawgiving and law enforcement institutions. Our analysis shows that there is considerable reason to be concerned about how interactions between individuals and machines will impact human freedom, autonomy, and dignity. These effects must be moved into the center of attention of robot ethics researchers in order to prevent causing unanticipated harm not only to individual humans, but to our understanding of what constitutes a human being and its essential freedom and dignity.