"It's getting interesting again" Daniel Dennett tweeted just before the PT-AI 2013 conference at Oxford co-sponsored by EUCog. It's true. A lot of things happening in Cognitive Systems at the moment. And not only inside the labs: our research has a growing impact on society.
This is why the 4th EUCogIII members conference is about the Social and Ethical Aspects of Cognitive Systems. It’s a good time to talk about the different perceptions about what the effects of our research might be.
- One can find different opinions in the media about the impact of robots in the workplace (1, 2).
- Among the research community there is a variety of attitudes towards the possible consequences of robots in care.
- The field of RobotEthics & AIEthics is growing fast because of the important ethical challenges that emerge from robotics and AI. We hear abut the ethics of driverless cars, although much of the discussion is focused on drones and military robots.
- Privacy is a major concern at the moment, and now that robots are entering the public sphere, hacking is an issue for Robotics research.
We are urged to ask themselves how could different cognitive systems affect society, and how should this affect research goals in the present. This members meeting will provide a forum for European cognitive systems researchers to discuss the potential social implications of our work.
This is also a great opportunity to engage the wider community in a dialogue about cognitive systems research and hear about expectations and concerns other than ours. Understanding public opinion is essential in a field whose applications hits the headlines rising so much hope and fear. How might these reactions be used to inform cognitive systems research and the way it presents itself to society at large?
Meet us the 23-24 October 2013 at Falmer/Brighton to discuss the "Social and Ethical Aspects of Cognitive Systems" in the 4th EUCogIII Members Conference.