Potential Impacts of HRI Upon Different Understandings of Morality

Potttentttiiialll Impacttts of HRI upon Diiifferenttt Understttandiiings of Morallliiittty Theodore A... Metttzlller Wimberly School of Religion, Oklahoma City University 2501 N. Blackwelder Oklahoma City, OK 73106-1493 [email protected] Abstttracttt than just machines. This is all about AI” – artificial intelligence, Abe said – “about the creation of This paper examines compatibility of some existing something that is not human, but can be a understandings of morality with the likely phenomenon of complement or companion to humans in society. increasing human-robot interaction (HRI) in the United That future is happening here now.” (2) States. Particularly for cases involving autonomous According to Faiola, part of this future that is happening humanoid robots, it is argued that impacts of HRI may “now” in Japan includes also a robotic baby seal (worth differ dramatically as a function of the received $10 million in development grants from the Japanese understandings of morality encountered. government) that "is meant to provide therapy for the elderly who are filling Japanese nursing homes at an Intttroductttiiion alarming rate while often falling prey to depression and loneliness” (3). In the following, we are addressing human interaction with Obviously, it is no recent discovery that humans interact artificially intelligent artifacts that increasingly resemble – with – and are affected by – their tools and other both in appearance and in behavior – whole biological technological artifacts. The fairly new class of robotic creatures, such as dogs, seals, and people. Researchers others just described, however, appears to warrant special already engaged in studying effects of this newer class of attention. Writing in a 2004 issue of Human-Computer robots upon humans during HRI have suggested a useful Interaction, for example, researchers Sara Kiesler and term that will be borrowed here to identify them Pamela Hinds observe that “people seem to perceive collectively: robotic others (Kahn 545-46). autonomous robots differently than they do most other At this time of writing – early 2006 – the reality of HRI computer technologies” (3). In particular, they point out with robotic others appears to be most advanced in Japan. “When we build autonomous robots to look human, we Anthony Faiola has supplied The Washington Post with may encourage anthropomorphic mental models of these the following rather striking report of conditions last year systems” (3). Please notice that the suggestion, here, is in that nation: focused simply upon how humans perceive robotic others – Analysts say Japan is leading the world in rolling whether, or to what extent, such perceptions are technically out justified is a separate issue. The prior topic, concerning a new generation of consumer robots. […] Though human responses, has not gone unnoticed, even in the perhaps years away in the United States, this long- technical community of artificial intelligence and robotics awaited as-seen-on-TV world […] is already research. Rodney Brooks illustrates such awareness in his unfolding in Japan, with robots now used as 2002 book, Flesh and Machines: How Robots Will receptionists, night watchmen, hospital workers, Change Us, voicing important questions of the following guides, pets and more. […] “We have reached the kind: point in Japan of a major breakthrough in the use of Is there, or will there ever be, enough similarity to us robot technology and our society is changing as a in our humanoid robots that we will decide to treat result,” said Kazuya Abe, a top official at NEDO, the them in the same moral ways we treat other people national institute in charge of coordinating science and, in varying degrees, animals? (154) research and development. “People are and will be Nor has the significance of our human responses to robotic living alongside robots, which are seen here as more others been neglected in the religious community; theologian Philip Hefner illustrates this point with the “robots that can interact with people in close quarters,” following representative comment in Technology and which he associates with several conditions peculiar to that Human Becoming: nation; for example, Japan simultaneously has an aging [Alan] Turing and his colleagues and their and ethnically homogeneous population, a low birth rate, descendants have created a significant mirror of and traditional cultural resistance to use of imported labor ourselves. What we want and who we are coalesce in (135-7). Although this profile is in some respects different this mirror. Whether we think this mirror is from that of the United States, it also displays elements adequate or not is another question. (31) that arguably could promote spread of the HRI Indeed, there appears to be recognition, in domains that phenomenon to the U.S. Martha Pollack, in a recent issue span both science and religion, that human responses to of AI Magazine, observes that the cohort of people aged 65 robotic others may present some important implications for and older in the U.S. also is increasing steadily (10). people – implications that even might include altered Moreover, she reports that the U.S. federal government understandings of ourselves. pays nearly 60 percent of a “$132 billion annual nursing The ways in which people respond to robotic others, home bill,” adding that “technology that can help seniors however, can be conditioned by cultural factors – and, yes, live at home longer provides a ‘win-win’ effect, both this broad rubric is intended here to include differing improving quality of life and potentially saving enormous religious beliefs. Anthony Faiola, within the report amounts of money” (9). In the presence of such factors, it mentioned previously, acknowledges influence of this type: should be rash to assume that the U.S. could not “In Western countries, humanoid robots are still not experience significant future growth in the HRI very accepted, but they are in Japan,” said Norihiro phenomenon we have been considering. Hagita, director of the ATR Intelligent Robotics and Although similar observations might equally apply to a Communication Laboratories […]. “One reason is number of other Western nations, the author of the present religion. In Japanese (Shinto) religion, we believe essay – as a citizen and lifetime resident of the United that all things have gods within them. But in States – believes it would be appropriate to focus the Western countries, most people believe in only one following discussion principally upon features of the God. For us, however, a robot can have an energy setting for HRI in the U.S. all its own.” (3) Influences from Buddhist thinking might also contribute to The Culllttturalll Settttttiiing for HRI Growttth the apparent cultural disposition of the Japanese people to iiin ttthe Uniiittted Stttatttes perceive robotic others differently from ways expected in Western countries, such as the United States. Machiko Diversity historically has been a prominent feature of the Kasuhara, in an essay titled “The Century of Household U.S. Accordingly, the country harbors a broad range of Robots,” suggests “The relationship between human beings distinct philosophical and religious positions that are and other creatures is different [in Japan] from that in embedded in quite different worldviews. In particular, the Europe, mainly because of historically different religious following remarks briefly will reconnoiter (a) views backgrounds” (2). In particular, he cites a lesser sense of expressed by individuals closely associated with U.S. difference “between the lives of human beings and other robotics research and (b) ideas that one might typically animals in Buddhist theory” and claims that this Buddhist expect to encounter in religious communities of the U.S. perspective has strongly influenced the “Japanese way of thinking” (2). In any event, it seems reasonable to bear in mind that any judgments regarding “human” responses to Profiiillle (a) robotic others may need to take into account possible cultural and religious effects. Carnegie Mellon University roboticist Hans Moravec gives The conspicuous emergence specifically in Japan of an our reconnoitering a brisk start by offering an admirably HRI phenomenon involving robotic others most likely straightforward criterion for determining whether a robot reflects a number of other factors characterizing that possesses a conscious soul: particular country; e.g., demographic, economic, and … we might grant a conscious soul to a robot by political variables. MIT’s Rodney Brooks notes generous interpreting its behavior as expressing the action of support by the Japanese government for development of such a soul: the more humanlike its interaction with us, the easier the attribution.” (76) If this seems a bit quick, rest assured that Moravec is surpassing humans in their capacity for experience, willing to take a vote on the matter: will claim to be conscious, and thus to be spiritual. … So, it may be appropriate to say “God” has They will believe that they are conscious. They will granted a soul to a machine when the machine is believe that they have spiritual experiences. They accepted as a real person by a wide human will be convinced that these experiences are community. (77) meaningful. And given the historical inclination of These are strong claims, and they clearly are pertinent to the human race to anthropomophize the phenomena dispositions one might have to ascribe moral status to a we encounter, and the persuasiveness

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