On the first day of Robophilosophy 2024, Wendell Wallach, one of the fathers of machine ethics, gave a keynote speech entitled “Re-envisioning Ethics: From Moral Machine to Extensive Regulation”. From the abstract: “Have we been underestimating the socio-technical challenges posed by ro(bot)s – physical systems and virtual bots? Many of the complexities inherent in managing intelligent systems can not be adequately met by scientific innovation, existing ethical constraints, or weak regulations forged by legislatures under the capture of the AI oligopoly. In spite of naive future projections, the science we have, and are likely to have in the near future, will not produce AI systems capable of making even satisfactory choices in complex situations where uncertainty reigns, multiple values converge, and the information available is inadequate to project meaningful consequences for various courses of action. AI will pose safety and security risks far beyond those being addressed by the pittance of investment presently directed to build trustworthy systems. Scientific humility is needed. Ethics must be reenvisioned and empowered to work through the plethora of socio-technical obstacles and trials ahead. A vast infrastruture to ensure AI safety will be required.” (Website Robophilosophy 2024) Wendell Wallach went far beyond these hints and gave an overview of the advances and setbacks in machine ethics and AI ethics in recent decades.
Keynote by Wendell Wallach
