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- Title
YOU MIGHT BE A ROBOT.
- Authors
Casey, Bryan; Lemley, Mark A.
- Abstract
As robots and artificial intelligence (AI) increase their influence over society, policymakers are increasingly regulating them. But to regulate these technologies, we first need to know what they are. And here we come to a problem. No one has been able to offer a decent definition of robots and AI--not even experts. What's more, technological advances make it harder and harder each day to tell people from robots and robots from "dumb" machines. We have already seen disastrous legal definitions written with one target in mind inadvertently affecting others. In fact, if you are reading this you are (probably) not a robot, but certain laws might already treat you as one. Definitional challenges like these aren't exclusive to robots and AI. But today, all signs indicate we are approaching an inflection point. Whether it is citywide bans of "robot sex brothels" or nationwide efforts to crack down on "ticket scalping bots," we are witnessing an explosion of interest in regulating robots, human enhancement technologies, and all things in between. And that, in turn, means that typological quandaries once confined to philosophy seminars can no longer be dismissed as academic. Want, for example, to crack down on foreign "influence campaigns" by regulating social media bots? Be careful not to define "bot" too broadly (like the California legislature recently did), or the supercomputer nestled in your pocket might just make you one. Want, instead, to promote traffic safety by regulating drivers? Be careful not to presume that only humans can drive (as our Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards do), or you may soon exclude the best drivers on the road.
- Subjects
CALIFORNIA; TRAFFIC safety; ROBOTS; DEFINITIONS; SAFETY standards; MOTOR vehicles
- Publication
Cornell Law Review, 2020, Vol 105, Issue 2, p287
- ISSN
0010-8847
- Publication type
Article