On robots as genetically modified invasive species
Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society
ISSN: 1477-996X
Article publication date: 6 May 2014
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore similarities and differences between robots, invasive biological species, and genetically modified organisms. These comparisons are designed to better understand the potential effects of robots on human society.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper applies established ideas in one discipline – biology – to issues that are less well understood, but actively being studied in another discipline – science and technology studies.
Findings
Robots entering human society in large numbers share many of the characteristics of an invasive species entering a new ecosystem. The authors also find that robots have several characteristics that are similar to a genetically modified organism. Taken together, these similarities suggest that society should be cautious about the introduction of large numbers of robots in a short period of time.
Originality/value
The approach taken here to assess robots in society by these analogies to ecological processes is, to the authors' knowledge, novel. Applying ideas from a better-known area to a less well-known area is routine in philosophy, but these particular analogies have not yet been carefully articulated in the literature.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the anonymous reviewers and the editors who helped them improve the paper. The authors also thank Dr Rob DeSalle (American Museum of Natural History) and Dr James Bonacum (University of Illinois Springfield) for their suggestions.
Citation
Lemke, M. and W. Miller, K. (2014), "On robots as genetically modified invasive species", Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, Vol. 12 No. 2, pp. 122-132. https://doi.org/10.1108/JICES-06-2013-0019
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2014, Emerald Group Publishing Limited