Dr. Jim's Design Corner

Ethics in science may be appropriate to talk about when building an intelligent android.

When I mentioned our project in casual conversation and mentioned the ability to teach the android, I had one lady ask me, "What if someone took the android and taught it to shoot the neighbor next door?"

Honestly, I had never thought of that. But let's think of this logically. Do kitchen knife manufacturers worry about their knives being used in homicides? How much liability do they share in making a very sharp knife?

I believe humans that use tools like knives or intelligent androids must take personal responsibility for the use of those tools.

You can slice onions or throats. You can create a conversation android to accompany the elderly in a nursing home, or you can teach it to "accidentally" trip over and pull the plug on their ventilator. Ultimately, humans must take that personal responsibility for their actions. The inventor should not be blamed for creating something that someone utilizes for nefarious purposes.

May be something to run by corporate lawyers.