Machine Ethics: The Design and Governance of Ethical AI and Autonomous Systems [Scanning the Issue]

Abstract

The so-called fourth industrial revolution and its economic and societal implications are no longer solely an academic concern, but a matter for political as well as public debate. Characterized as the convergence of robotics, AI, autonomous systems and information technology – or cyberphysical systems – the fourth industrial revolution was the focus of the World Economic Forum, at Davos, in 2016 <xref ref-type="bibr" rid="ref1" xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">[1]</xref> . Also in 2016 the US White House initiated a series of public workshops on artificial intelligence (AI) and the creation of an interagency working group, and the European Parliament Committee for Legal Affairs published a draft report with recommendations to the Commission on Civil Law Rules on Robotics.