EAGER: Toward Ethical Intelligent Autonomous Systems, A Case-Supported Principle-Based Behavior Paradigm

EAGER：迈向道德智能自治系统，基于案例支持的基于原则的行为范式

• 批准号: 1449155
• 负责人: Michael Anderson
• 金额: $ 20.49万
• 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: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-09-01 至 2022-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1449155&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: EAGER; Toward; Ethical; Intelligent; Autonomous

Intelligent autonomous systems (IAMs) are on the verge of being widely deployed in domains in which they will interact closely with people (e.g., personal assistance, healthcare, driverless cars, search and rescue), and they will be expected to navigate this ethically-charged landscape responsibly. As correct ethical behavior not only involves not doing certain things, but also doing certain things to bring about an ideal state of affairs, ethical issues concerning the behavior of IAMs are likely to elude simple, static solutions and exceed the grasp of their designers. The PI argues that the behavior of such systems should be guided by explicit ethical principles abstracted from particular cases where a consensus of ethicists exists. Laying the foundations for such technology is the focus of this exploratory research. Project outcomes will help alleviate concerns with intelligent autonomous systems, since the behavior of such systems guided by ethical principles is likely to be more acceptable in real-world environments than that of such systems without this dimension. Indeed, ethical intelligent autonomous systems capable of functioning with more autonomy might be permitted to assist human beings in a wider range of domains. The PI expects that an important byproduct of this work is that a more thorough understanding of the ethical theory involved is likely to result, as it is made concrete. To ensure correct ethical behavior, IAMs should weigh alternative possible actions against each other to determine which is ethically preferable at any given moment. The PI will leverage his previous research in developing and deploying principles that weigh the ethical preference of actions, and justify action choices for autonomous systems across multiple domains, to develop a paradigm of case-supported principle-based behavior (CPB) in which intensionally defined ethical action preference is abstracted from particular cases of ethical dilemmas and used to order ethically significant actions. The PI will refine and codify CPB using the domain of eldercare robots as a test bed by, first employing a virtual component based upon simulation and then reifying this simulation in a laboratory setting. In particular, the PI will define a comprehensive set of ethically significant actions for an eldercare robot. He will then develop and validate via an Ethical Turing Test an ethical principle that can be used to order this set by ethical preferences, and use this principle to guide the behavior of a simulated Unbounded Robotics UBR-1 robot with this set of behaviors situated in a Gazebo simulation of an assisted-living facility. He will next reify this simulation with an actual UBR-1 robot in a laboratory setting. Finally, he will refine and codify the requirements, methods, implementation specifics, and testing aspects of the case-supported principle-based behavior paradigm. Besides developing and implementing a general methodology for ensuring ethical behavior in intelligent autonomous systems, this research will provide evidence that ethical principles and decision-making can be computed and function effectively in domains where machines are likely to interact with human beings.

智能自治系统（IAMS）即将被广泛部署在他们将与人们紧密互动的领域（例如，个人援助，医疗保健，无人驾驶汽车，搜索和救援），他们将有望以道德上收取的景观负责任地导航。 由于正确的道德行为不仅涉及不做某些事情，而且还涉及某些事情来实现理想的状态，有关IAMS行为的道德问题可能会避免简单，静态的解决方案，并且超出了设计师的掌握。 PI认为，这种系统的行为应以从存在伦理学家达成共识的特定情况下提取的明确的道德原则来指导。 为这种技术奠定基础是这项探索性研究的重点。 项目成果将有助于减轻对智能自主系统的关注，因为在道德原则指导的此类系统的行为中，在现实世界环境中可能比没有这种维度的系统更容易接受。 的确，可以允许能够使用更多自主权运作的道德智能自主系统可以在更广泛的领域中为人类提供帮助。 PI期望这项工作的重要副产品是对所涉及的伦理理论的更彻底的理解可能会导致它，因为它是具体的。为了确保正确的道德行为，IAMS应该权衡彼此之间的替代可能的行动，以确定在任何给定时刻在道德上更可取的。 PI将利用他以前的研究来制定和部署权力行动的道德偏好，并证明对跨多个领域的自主系统的行动选择是合理的，开发了基于案例的基于原则的行为（CPB）的范例，在该范式中，从直觉上定义的道德行动偏好从特定的道德伦理难题和使用的伦理上的重要案例中抽象出来。 PI将使用老年机器人的域作为测试床来完善和编纂CPB，首先采用基于仿真的虚拟组件，然后在实验室环境中对此模拟进行验证。 特别是，PI将为老年机器人定义一系列具有道德意义的行动。 然后，他将通过伦理图灵测试开发和验证伦理原则，该原理可用于通过道德偏好来订购此设置，并使用该原理来指导模拟无限的机器人ubr-1机器人的行为，并以这组行为位于辅助生活设施的凉亭模拟中。 接下来，他将在实验室环境中使用实际的UBR-1机器人来对此进行仿真。 最后，他将完善并编纂基于案例原理的行为范式的要求，方法，实施细节和测试方面。 除了开发和实施确保智能自主系统中的道德行为的一般方法外，这项研究还将提供证据表明，可以在机器可能与人类相互作用的域中计算道德原则和决策。