The unstoppable rise of robots in our everyday lives requires urgent EU rules such as \u201ckill switches\u201d, European Parliament members warned Thursday as they passed a resolution urging Brussels into action on automaton ethics.<\/p>\n
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Mady Delvaux, a Socialist MEP from Luxembourg, led the campaign and warned that Europe is passively standing by as robots take an increasingly powerful role that will turn even stronger with the emergence of driverless cars.<\/p>\n
To encourage EU action, Delvaux tabled a resolution at the European Parliament that also includes the need for an EU agency specialised in dealing with artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n
Once passed, Delvaux\u2019s resolution could force the European Commission, the EU\u2019s executive arm, to begin work on laws that deal with these issues head-on.<\/p>\n
\u201cA growing number of areas of our daily lives are increasingly affected by robotics,\u201d Delvaux said after a committee vote on her measure.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn order… to ensure that robots are and will remain in the service of humans, we urgently need to create a robust European legal framework,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Delvaux\u2019s resolution was easily passed by the European Parliament\u2019s legal affairs committee on Wednesday and now faces a plenary vote, probably in February.<\/p>\n
Her report is a broad overview on how robots are creeping into the lives of humans and what the EU can do to stay in control.<\/p>\n
Its recommendations are wide-ranging, including the kill switch allowing humans to shut down a robot at the smallest sign of danger.<\/p>\n
Without such rules, \u201chumanity could face the apocalyptic scenario where robots turn on their human masters,\u201d Delvaux warned in an interview with EU affairs website EuroActiv.<\/p>\n
The report recommends an EU agency for robotics to oversee all European regulation involving robots, like the bloc already has for food safety or aviation.<\/p>\n
Most urgently, the report demands that the EU draw up a legal framework for driverless cars.<\/p>\n
Auto builders want to see robotic cars on the roads by 2020, but difficult questions remain on who would be legally liable in the case of a car crash.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf all decisions of a machine are no longer directly attributable to the actions of a person, it must be clarified who is liable if something goes wrong,\u201d said Greens MEP Julia Reda, who backed the report.<\/p>\n
To fill this void, the MEPs called for an obligatory insurance scheme and a fund to ensure victims are fully compensated in cases of accidents.<\/p>\n
The report also called for the EU to find ways to help the millions of workers who will inevitably lose their jobs as industries become increasingly automated.\u2014AFP<\/p>\n
Image: Alamy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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