SGER: Towards Machine Ethics

SGER：迈向机器伦理

• 批准号: 0500133
• 负责人: Michael Anderson
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: University of Hartford
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-01-01 至 2006-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0500133&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SGER; Towards; Machine; Ethics

Research concerning the relationship between technology and ethics has largely focused on responsible and irresponsible use of technology by human beings, with a few people being interested in how human beings ought to treat machines. In all cases, only human beings have engaged in ethical reasoning. The PIs believe the time has come to add an ethical dimension to at least some machines. Recognition of the ethical ramifications of behavior involving machines, and recent and potential developments in machine autonomy, necessitate this. In this project, the PIs will explore this dimension through investigation of what has been called machine ethics, which (in contrast to computer hacking, software property issues, privacy issues and other topics normally ascribed to computer ethics) is concerned with the consequences of behavior of machines towards human users and other machines. Clearly, relying on machine intelligence to effect change in the world without some restraint can be dangerous. Until fairly recently, the ethical impact of a machine's actions has either been negligible (e.g., a calculator) or, when considerable, has only been taken under the supervision of a human operator (e.g., robotic automobile assembly). As we increasingly rely upon machine intelligence with reduced human supervision, we will need to be able to count on a certain level of ethical behavior from them. And as machines are given more responsibility, an equal measure of accountability for their actions must be meted out to them if we are to avoid undesirable machine behavior. In this project, the PIs will implement prototype systems in limited domains, one that incorporates an ethical dimension to its advantage, and another that learns weights of competing duties to the end of providing a decision procedure for an ethical theory. The PIs hope these investigations will sharpen their understanding of the field, so that they can compose a well-argued position paper that clarifies the objectives of and answers objections to machine ethics, as a first step towards dealing with an issue that has been of concern since the beginning of the 20th century but has seen little serious scientific effort. Broader Impacts: The PIs will develop a machine ethics website, and will organize a AAAI Machine Ethics symposium tentatively planned for fall 2005. The outcomes of this research will contribute to the development of autonomous intelligent agents that could be used to replace human effort in many subservient, dangerous, or undesirable tasks. In the longer run, an ethical dimension in machines could be used to alert humans who rely on machines before they do something that is ethically questionable, averting harm that might have been caused otherwise. Such capabilities might be harnessed to assist us in ethical decision-making; machine-machine relationships might also benefit, in that the new capabilities could provide a basis for resolving resource conflicts or predicting behavior of other machines. Perhaps most importantly, the behavior of more fully autonomous machines, guided by an ethical dimension, might be more socially acceptable in real-world environments than that of machines without such a dimension.

关于技术与伦理之间关系的研究主要集中在人类对技术的负责和不负责任的使用上，其中一些人对人类应该如何治疗机器感兴趣。 在所有情况下，只有人类才从事道德推理。 PIS认为，现在是时候为至少某些机器增加道德维度了。 认识到涉及机器的行为的道德后果以及机器自治的最新和潜在发展，这是必要的。 在该项目中，PI将通过调查所谓的机器伦理来探索这一维度，与计算机黑客，软件属性问题，隐私问题和通常归因于计算机伦理的其他主题相比）与机器对人类用户和其他机器的行为后果有关。 显然，依靠机器智能在没有某种限制的情况下影响世界的变化可能是危险的。 直到最近，机器动作的道德影响要么可以忽略不计（例如计算器），要么在大量的情况下，才在人类操作员的监督下（例如机器人汽车组装）受到了攻击。 随着我们越来越多地依靠机器智能，人类的监督减少，我们将需要能够指望他们的一定水平的道德行为。 而且，随着机器具有更多的责任，如果我们要避免不受欢迎的机器行为，则必须对其行为负责。 在该项目中，PI将在有限的领域中实现原型系统，该系统将其优势融合在一起，而另一个则将竞争职责的权重到结束，以便为道德理论提供决策程序。 PIS希望这些调查能够加深对该领域的理解，以便他们可以撰写一份精通的立场论文，以阐明对机器道德的目标并回答异议，这是处理自20世纪初以来一直关注的问题的第一步，但几乎没有认真的科学努力。 更广泛的影响：PIS将开发机器伦理网站，并将组织一项针对2005年秋季计划的AAAI机器伦理专题讨论会。这项研究的结果将有助于发展自主智能机构的发展，这些智能机构可用于在许多次级，危险，危险或不良任务中替代人类努力。 从长远来看，机器中的道德维度可用于提醒那些在做到道德上有问题的事情之前依靠机器的人类，避免了可能造成的伤害。 可能会利用这样的能力来帮助我们进行道德决策；机器机器关系也可能受益，因为新功能可以为解决资源冲突或预测其他机器的行为提供基础。 也许最重要的是，在道德维度的指导下，更充分的自主机器的行为在现实环境中可能比没有这种维度的机器的行为更能接受。