If we’re ever able to make robots as intelligent as us, won’t forcing them to work for us be as bad as slavery?

Asked by: Mahika Gautam, London

In short: yes. International law on slavery currently applies to humans only, but if robots become as clever as us, then politicians would need to start thinking about tweaking these laws to include robots, too.

We’d be foolish not to treat these robots with respect: history shows us that forcing labour from our equals never ends well. Fortunately, the EU is already piloting ethical guidelines for the use of AI software, so it’s likely that we would implement legislation to ensure the wellbeing of AIs with human intelligence. If we don’t, then they probably will!

Read more:

• Why do we make robots look like humans?
• Could robots be programmed to evolve?

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