Robot and Society

Introduction

Robots and Society takes a critical look at the design, development, production, and implementation of robots and AI in society. In the course, we will be examining many case studies as concrete applications of robotics and AI in society, e.g. healthcare robots, synthetic media in entertainment, decision-support systems in policing, human values when robots are concerned, as well as touch on the political and environmental aspects of robotics and AI. The course will provide students with the skills of critical reflection, ethical sensitivity and deliberation about the societal, design, environmental and governance issues at stake concerning these technologies. Thus, the course should prepare students for common problems they will face in their current studies and prepare them for their future careers in the technical or humanities disciplines. The course serves as a first step in uncovering societal issues related to robotics and AI, understanding how and why they are points of concern, and applying conceptual tools to mitigate and/or overcome such issues.

To participate in the course and be able to access the Course manual and all the materials, you simply need to enroll on Brightspace with the course code RO47008.

Detailed content:

Introduction to ethics of technology

• Technology as a sociotechnical system

• Practice-based approach to values

• Technological mediation of morality

• Value change

Introduction to robot ethics

• Ethics of Human-Robot Interaction (e.g. social script, anthropomorphism, gender, inclusivity, etc.)

• Ethics of Robot Applications (e.g. healthcare robots, Digital Voice Assistants, military drones, etc.)

• Ethics of Robot Design and Development (e.g. Design for Values, Value hierarchy, Ethics as an accompaniment model, etc.)

Introduction to ethics of AI

• Cultural and institutional aspects of AI

• Philosophical perspective on bias

• Power and politics of AI

• Ethics of AI in public sectors (e.g. predictive policing, facial recognition, Covid19 tracking apps, etc.)

1. Lectures and obligatory readings

Each week, you need to read the mandatory readings for the Week to assist you in processing the lectures and preparing for the tutorials. All the materials are available on Brightspace, with lectures being on campus and recordings and pdfs becoming available after each lecture. Students agree to use the reading material only for educational purposes and not share it beyond the course. You are encouraged to raise lecture- and reading-prompted questions on Brightspace and react to the posts of other students to enrich your learning with regards to the course.

2. Tutorials en Discussion Posts

You must attend 4 on-campus tutorial sessions corresponding to tutorials A, B, C and D to complete the course. During each tutorial, you will complete a reflective exercise (e.g. a debate) and produce an analytic piece (e.g. a presentation) on a specific case of living well with robots in society. Each tutorial (A-D) is repeated over six sessions in two weeks to make sure you can have meaningful discussions in class and find the timeslot the suits your schedule best. Therefore, each tutorial session will accommodate typically 20-25 students. To get the spot in the session convenient to you (e.g. A4), consult the schedule and enroll into the groups of your choice already in Week 1 (see Brightspace Tutorial group enrollment).

All tutorials will feature not just theoretical discussions, but material enactments of living with the robots, starting with the first tutorial, where you will be asked to build one by yourself. Each tutorial will have a designated subject and a series of preparatory materials (journalistic engagements, short videos and podcasts, etc.). A very important requirement the robot you will build in Tutorial A will need to accompany you = physically be there with you at every next tutorial session they were carefully designed by the teachers in an interconnected logic. So don't forget to bring your robots to all of the tutorials.

To reiterate, attending four tutorials is mandatory and a prerequisite to passing the course.

3. Exam The exam will be held on campus in a computer room. It will be an open-book exam, where you will be able to access any course materials (provided that you cite and reference them). You will not be allowed to consult or help your fellow students. You are expected to register for the exam in advance. More information on the exam will be in the Course manual.

4. Final Paper for the students on the 5ECTS trajectory: Individual reflective essay. You will be asked to reflect on the overarching question of this course, How to live well with robots?, using any course material (e.g. anything you've heard or read in the lectures, readings, tutorials) and crucially, reflecting on your experiences with the robot you will design during this course. In the essay, you will be asked to (1) identify any specific ethical issue raised by living with your robot (supported by your documented evidence) and inspired by it, to (2) anticipate any potential ethical issues in specific human-robot practices in society. You will be asked to (3) evaluate these problems, drawing on any course material, and to (4) make engineering recommendations on how to develop or apply robots a responsible way. Building on this, in summary, you will be asked to (5) answer the main courses question and give your recipe of what it takes to live well with robots.

Disclaimer: information may change depending on unforeseen circumstances or measures (see: TER Art 29, sub 4)