Robotics: Machines and Man - Ethics and Robotics in the 21st Century


Automation and the development of new technologies like robotics is viewed by most people as inevitable. But many workers who lose their jobs consider this business practice unfair. Do you think the development of new technologies, and their implementation, is inevitable? What, if anything, should we as a society do for those people who lose their jobs?

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		John Dulchinos, Engineer and Vice President of Sales for Adept Technology, Inc.: Dulchinos makes the important point that more jobs are lost to cheap overseas job markets than to robots being implemented in existing companies. He then goes on to say that while robots are used in a variety of applications, they generally are used in positions better suited to robots, such as repetitive assembly positions. People are designed to use their minds, says Dulchinos, and as they are replaced by robots, they will have to be retrained for other positions. Listen to the response (1.5MB)

		Tom Csekey, Vice President of Service Employees International Union, Local 1877: Csekey recognizes that machines of the future will be taking the place of workers and proposes a parallel track to retrain workers as they are displaced. He warns that we must also consider the quality of life when thinking about these changes. Unless we consider all these issues, Czekey says, workers and unions will be resistant to the implementation of new technologies. Listen to the response (1.3MB)

		Clayton Bailey, artist: Bailey says jokingly that an artist can make a living as a robot, just as he himself did a few years ago. He built a robot suit and became the ambassador for large corporations such as Standard Oil, Chevron, and Nordstrom. Listen to the response (788K)

		Tom Shanks, Ph.D. of the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics: From a corporate point of view, says Shanks, if it is cheaper to use robots that is fine. He notes, however, that it then becomes the company's responsibility to retrain or place employees whose jobs are lost due the company moving into robotics; companies must pay attention to fairness issues. Listen to the response (1.3MB)