November 1 — Social and Moral Relationships with Personified Robots
“Peter Kahn’s research on social and moral relationships between robots and people tells us as much about human nature, and our tendency to anthropomorphize, as it does about principles for designing robots in ethically-sensitive ways,” says IUPUI Informatics Professor MacDorman.
When: November 1, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Where: IUPUI Ruth Lilly Auditorium (Room 0130), University Library 755 W. Michigan St.
Personified robots will become part of our lives, although it is not yet clear how. They may become caretakers for the elderly, tutors for children, healthcare or day-care assistants, counselors, museum guides, or maids. They may also become our friends. Based on his laboratory’s research, Peter Kahn explores in his talk the social and moral challenges that personified robots will pose as they become increasingly prevalent.
Peter H. Kahn, Jr. is Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology and Adjunct Associate Professor in the Information School at the University of Washington. He is also Co-Director of The Mina Institute (Covelo, CA), an organization that seeks to promote, from an ethical perspective, the human relationship with nature and technology. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1988. He wrote The Human Relationship with Nature: Development and Culture. His research projects are currently being funded by the National Science Foundation.
If this event sounds interesting, check out … two of the other events being sponsored by IUPUI Informatics professor Karl MacDorman, who works closely with Kahn: Jamie Arndt on “The Psychological Impact of the Awareness of Mortality” September 20, and Suzanna Becker, “Modulatory and Memory Functions of the Hippocampus: Linking Memory, Stress, Mood and Neurogenesis” October 24. Use Kahn’s perspectives about ethical responsibilities toward articial beings to reframe your approach to ethical responsibilities to nature in events such as Living Green: Living Generously with Earth or Melting Mountains, Burning Fields: Global Warming, Science and Religion on November 12.
September 15th, 2007 at 12:22 pm
[…] November 1 — Social and Moral Relationships with Personified Robots “Peter Kahn’s research on social and moral relationships between robots and people tells us as much about human nature, and our tendency to anthropomorphize, as it does about principles for designing robots in ethically-sensitive ways,” says IUPUI Informatics Professor MacDorman. check it out […]