I’m actually writing something on religion and science fiction, and found myself pondering Asimov’s famous Three Laws of Robotics. On the one hand, such laws seem like a necessity. On the other hand, if we manage to create sentient, self-aware artificial persons, then would they not have rights? Could we in essence impose our will on them in this way, or would their right to the same freedoms other persons have lead to the Three Laws being overturned by some future courts? Alternatively, what would we make of a world in which similar laws could be encoded into human brains? Would the world be a better place as a result?
As I write this, one toy company has decided to come up with its own laws of robotics. Is this bad news for organic persons?
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