Mr Hayate Shimizu1
1Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
Biography:
Hayate Shimizu is a PhD student in the Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies at Hokkaido University. His research primarily focuses on Kant’s theory of virtue and the ethics of human-robot interaction. His research explores the intersection of Kantian ethics and AI, investigating how artificial agents can be significant others.
Abstract:
The rapid development of robot technology raises critical ethical questions, particularly whether robots deserve moral consideration. One scenario to explore this question is whether we should save a drowning robot. Traditional properties approaches would conclude that we don’t need to save robots because robots lack the intrinsic properties that confer moral status, such as consciousness and sentience (cf. Sparrow, 2004; Bryson, 2010, 2018; DeGrazia, 2022).
However, adopting a relational approach, as advocated by Coeckelbergh and Gunkel, presents a different perspective. This relational approach inspires this presentation, which emphasizes the significance of the concrete relationships and interactions we form with robots. The relational approach shifts the focus from the ontological properties of the entities involved to the concrete relationships. Furthermore, drawing on recent research by Mamak (2024), I argue that the emotional bonds formed with robots can create obligations to save them. The relational approach acknowledges that our moral decisions are not solely based on the intrinsic properties of the entities involved but also on our relationships with them.
This presentation focuses on relational contexts and argues that robots can indeed become significant others deserving of moral consideration. The argument based on emotional relations people can have with robots reveals that robots can generate moral obligations. This presentation aims to broaden the understanding of moral situations, demonstrating that the emotional attachment humans develop with robots can redefine their moral significance in our lives.
Presentation Slides PDF – Click here