Ethics, Technology, and Society

If you want to sell the idea of swarm bots as a “good” idea (seems harmless), show them dragging a child to safety. This video is a good example of swarm bots to the rescue. (Notice the expression on the child’s face–mildly freaked out? or simply bored?)

There is an interesting question that pops into my mind when I see swarm bots pulling a child to safety. It similar to questions that pop into my mind when I see ants, or bees, all doing their collective thing. Indeed, much of the swarm bot work is based on observations from ants, bees, flocks of birds and so on–natures swarms.

In this case the question is this: Who pulled the child to safety?

Was it any particular bot? the researchers? whoever sent the bots in? or, perhaps, the swarm?

I honestly don’t know the answer to the question (and would love to hear your intuitions on this), but I plan to pursue it in the not-too-distant future. It seem like an important one since we are on the verge of seeing these swarm technologies unleashed into the world, and they have the potential to do good, and bad, things. Depending on their level of autonomy, and on the fact that we can predict that they will behave in many unanticipated ways (we can anticipate that, at the very least), it seems we ought to have some idea of how to respond to their actions (should we consider their behaviour actions?, another good one).

Anyone interested in more swarm bot videos can mosey on over to YouTube.

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