A Robot Rights Curriculum Informed by Western and Eastern Principles
Abstract
With the rise of social robotics and assistive AI, the debate over robot rights is becoming increasingly important. What are robot rights? How should we navigate the complex landscape of human and robot rights from moral, legal, and social perspectives? As AI competition increases between East and West, can we bridge the growing divide by achieving a shared framework of robot rights applicable in cross-cultural settings? At present it is unclear how researchers, engineers, AI practitioners, and legal professionals will be able to address these questions. This project seeks to develop a curriculum on robot rights informed by Western and Eastern principles as a step toward uniting our global community. Our aim is to provide a foundational framework for students and researchers to engage in critical thinking, understanding, and discussion of decisions regarding robot rights. To our knowledge, no such pedagogical materials of similar focus, scope, and target audience exist.
