Russian scientists called for taking into account the interests of robots

MOSCOW, December 7. For effective interaction between people and robots, humanity must abandon the idea of ​​primacy in regulating these relations, scientists from Volgograd State Technical University believe. In their opinion, in the near future, in the era of digital capitalism, people and machines will jointly create the rules of cooperation. A study “Digital Capitalism and New Institutionalism” has been prepared and published about this.
The university said that today there are active discussions among experts about how to make robots more adapted to the human world. There are different approaches related to how to train machines to comply with social and ethical norms, how to “domesticate” them and avoid destructive behavior on the part of artificial intelligence.
December 13, 2016, 11:03
Scientists from Volgograd State Technical University (Volgograd State Technical University) conducted a study aimed at developing new approaches to the study of institutions that accompany the formation of digital capitalism. One of the key ideas of the work is the regulation of interactions between people and robots.
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“In the future, we will see a world where robots will develop legal frameworks together with people. Our work analyzes how we must change our thinking in order to adapt to the complexities of the digital economy,” said the author of the study, professor of the Department of Economics and Entrepreneurship. Volga State Technical University Daniil Frolov.

He added that it is already important to think about the “rights” of robots and about our coexistence with them as partners, about creating mutually beneficial rules.

The expert noted that today the idea of ​​robots is quite common , as rather slowly and unnaturally moving humanoid creatures, these are typical social robots or android robots. But the variety of robots is enormous, and it is constantly growing.

“There are underwater robots that look like snails, there are biodegradable seed robots, there are molecular robots. Artificial intelligence agents are also robots, but without a physical shell. Robots can already replace surgeons, judges, drivers and representatives of many other professions. At the same time robots are highly autonomous, they make decisions independently, analyzing the environment and self-learning,” explained Frolov.
In his opinion, the digital economy is a set of ecosystems where people coexist with robots and other digital objects. And the development of rules for regulating such ecosystems should take into account the interests of both people and digital “creatures”.

For example, in order for the simplest robot vacuum cleaner to effectively do its job, it is necessary to make the room comfortable for its movement and some kind of then don't go in there. Complex autonomous robots will require much greater concessions from people and will force them to take into account their “needs” and “interests.”

As noted at Volga State Technical University, this study is part of a large project related to the study of institutional complexities in the digital economy, which is addressed by university economists. They explore blockchain, big data, smart cities, cryptocurrencies and other digital technologies in terms of how they will change existing economic institutions and what new institutions need to be created.