Selma Šabanović, Professor of Informatics at the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, co-authored a paper on how to evaluate the “good” in robotics projects that appeared in the prestigious journal Science Robotics.
The paper, titled “ ‘Robots for Good’: 10 Defining Questions,” identifies issues robotics researchers should be ready to address to be transparent about the nature and limitations of their work’s societal benefits.
The paper’s idea came to Šabanović and her co-authors when they attended the UN’s AI for Good Global Summit in July of 2023 in Switzerland. More than 50 robots were displayed at the summit to the public, UN staff and policy members, and the media. Šabanović attended the summit to present her research on human-robot interaction.
During the summit, the co-authors noted that discussions about the good in robot technology and potentially imminent Artificial General Intelligence solutions to social issues, such as the rising need for eldercare, did not always provide an honest and clear vision of what robots can really do, and how they can realistically and responsibly be deployed to benefit society.
The paper provides a series of issues researchers should consider to clarify what constitutes good robots and their potential role in society. These issues include identifying the specific groups of users the robot is designed to help and groups that participated in the design, detailing how to measure whether or not the outcome of the robot’s use provides tangible benefits, clarifying the robot’s functional limitations, and identifying possible negative consequences of the robot and what safeguards need to be put in place to protect users against potential harm from robots.
Regarding the published piece, Šabanović notes “We hope this is just the beginning of a rich conversation among robotics researchers, policy makers, and the public on how to ensure robots provide benefits in various contexts and for diverse people. We also hope this encourages more accountability and transparency among developers of robots regarding the costs and outcomes of their work to the broader community.”
Science Robotics is a multidisciplinary, peer-reviewed scientific research journal covering traditional disciplines of robotics as well as closely related emerging technologies. It is published by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
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