Keynote Speaker on Tuesday, 5 April 2016:
Amanda Sharkey, University of Sheffield
Department of Computer Science
Robotics Foundation for Responsible Robotics
Sheffield, United Kingdom
http://www.dcs.shef.ac.uk/cgi-bin/makeperson?A.Sharkey
Title: “Embracing the machine? Should there be any no-go areas for Human-Robot Interaction?”
Abstract:
Analyzing the discourse on health care I discern a worry about the automation and We seem to be approaching a Robot Age in which social encounters with robots in our homes, towns and workspace will become common place. Great progress has already been achieved in the development of social robots that are able to interact with us in an entertaining and useful manner. But should we welcome every robot application? Are they all good news? In this talk, I will examine reasons in favour of and against the use of robots in different social roles. I will identify both the ethical concerns that robots can give rise to in varying scenarios, and the potential benefits. The domains and scenarios that I will consider include childcare, teaching and the care of vulnerable older people, and I will draw some general conclusions about where I think society could benefit from the use of robots and where it may be best to limit their use.