Title
The responsibility gap : ascribing responsibility for the actions of learning automata
Document Type
Journal article
Source Publication
Ethics and Information Technology
Publication Date
9-1-2004
Volume
6
Issue
3
First Page
175
Last Page
183
Publisher
Springer Netherlands
Keywords
artificial intelligence, autonomous robots, learning machines, liability, moral responsibility
Abstract
Traditionally, the manufacturer/operator of a machine is held (morally and legally) responsible for the consequences of its operation. Autonomous, learning machines, based on neural networks, genetic algorithms and agent architectures, create a new situation, where the manufacturer/operator of the machine is in principle not capable of predicting the future machine behaviour any more, and thus cannot be held morally responsible or liable for it. The society must decide between not using this kind of machine any more (which is not a realistic option), or facing a responsibility gap, which cannot be bridged by traditional concepts of responsibility ascription.
DOI
10.1007/s10676-004-3422-1
Print ISSN
13881957
E-ISSN
15728439
Publisher Statement
Copyright © 2004 Kluwer Academic Publishers
Access to external full text or publisher's version may require subscription.
Full-text Version
Publisher’s Version
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Matthias, A. (2004). The responsibility gap: Ascribing responsibility for the actions of learning automata. Ethics and Information Technology, 6(3), 175-183. doi: 10.1007/s10676-004-3422-1
