Robots are becoming more intelligent every day, but with this increased intelligence comes an increased risk of harm to people and property. With the progress in science and engineering, we will soon be able to create things that can do almost anything humans can do-and then some. The question is: at what point does it become unethical to use robots?

Over the past few decades, robots have become increasingly popular in manufacturing, especially with processes that could be hazardous to humans. Robots are now used to build cars and other vehicles, as well as heavy equipment like bulldozers. Robots remove humans from harm's way by performing these tasks instead of people. As robots become more common in industry, there will inevitably be situations in which a person will need to interact with a robot. In such situations, the ethical question of "How much risk is it acceptable for robots to impose on humans?" arises.

One of the most common risks comes from physical harm. Robots present many opportunities for injuries and deaths because they are normally heavy and do not think for themselves. At the moment, robots are not programmed to stop for pedestrians; they simply run them over if they get in the way. Humans expect that cars will yield right-of-way on roads and that machines like bulldozers will not push things around without reason. Unfortunately, this is not always the case with robots; their programming does not take into account the fact that humans are unpredictable. For instance, a robot may be programmed to move objects out of its way without regard for anything behind it. If someone were to come up to the robot and stick his arm in its path, the robot would run it over without stopping even though it could easily avoid injuring him if it stopped.

It's not uncommon for people to feel apprehensive about the idea of robots taking over jobs currently held by humans. The reality is, though, that robots are already here and they're only getting smarter--and better at doing things we don't want to do! From cooking meals in a restaurant kitchen all night long without needing sleep or worrying about fatigue-to picking up items off warehouse floors quickly and efficiently even when it would be dangerous for someone else-robots can help us work safer, more productively, and with less physical strain than ever before. And as technology advances so too will our understanding of how best to integrate them into society. Keep an eye out on this blog post series where we discuss what you need to know now so your business is robot-ready.