The wheels are in motion to give robots the same rights that people currently enjoy. Huh? A recent inquiry by the British government suggests that within the next 20 to 50 years robots will be intelligent enough to warrant many of the same rights and benefits that us mere mortals now have. Robots would be expected to be given some sort of robot health care, robot affordable housing and robot rehab clinics, something previously limited to Miss USA. The report says that robots will also soon be able to reproduce on their own.
It’s not all a free ride for our robot friends, though, as they’ll be expected to pay taxes and serve in the military. I look forward to seeing an all-robot battalion battle the forces of another country’s all-robot battalion. Now, it’s safe to say that we here at Gizmodo love robots. But do we think that robots should be given actual legal rights? Do you? Didn’t we already confront this issue in the film Blade Runner?
Robots could demand legal rights [BBC News]
