Imagine a world where the use of machines serves human beings in everything they do and also guides them toward ethical morality. What would the world look like? Isaac Asimov’s “Three Laws of Robotics” has long been the standard in the conversation about machine morality. Asimov standardized three laws in “The Bicentennial Man” that assume the behavior of intelligent machines with the fundamental concepts. Besides a fictional robot trying to gain recognition and liberate itself, Andrew Asimov makes us reflect on our methods of addressing machine ethics. Through analyzing Andrew’s progress to autonomy and acceptance, the connection between machine metaethics and the possibility for machines to apply ethical principles and drive humans to act more ethically will be examined.
Andrew is a robot designed by Asimov that obeys the Three Laws. First conceived as a family servant, Andrew’s encounters with the Martin family propel his struggle toward consciousness and free will. With the innate ability of a yearning to be accepted, Andrew reaches beyond his given course by breaking down the limits of artificial intelligence. Andrew’s desire to be viewed as a sentient shows that the “Three Laws” are inevitably limited in their scope and shows the struggles of ethical decisions of intelligent machines (Anderson, 2016). Android, such as Andrew, whose ambitions of freedom and acceptance strike at the core of our most elemental desires, are indistinguishable from man, yet artificial.
Andrew reveals prejudices and irrational fear of intelligent devices as he interacts with human society. Andrew, mainly via the bullies and the fight for independence, meets the deeply ingrained prejudices that prevent him from assimilating into society (Anderson, 2016). Only from Asimov’s tale can one find a poignant analogy regarding the suffering through which the human is striving for equality and acceptance. Andrew’s treatment reflects an inverted image of a broader social injustice, the ethical and moral justice of human beings, and needs to be questioned. Whether we cast him as a paragon of morality in a world littered with prejudices and ignorance, his example as Andrew is willing to assert a set of ethical standards against all odds is such. Yet, he has destroyed even the cornerstone of human-absorbed ethics with his behavior demanding increased rights and dignity for sentient ones.
Asimov’s story not only presents difficult ethical questions but also paves the way for future notions of machine ethics. The concept of a machine as an ethical advocate offers a practical approach to integrating ethics in artificial intelligence that advances honest dynamics and progress (Anderson, 2016). Asimov admits to machine moral agency that aims at a new paradigm of moral interdependence between humans and machines. While a perfect ethical theory for machines seems unattainable, Asimov’s narrative emphasizes the need for a continuous conversation and search. Twofold is a guiding light in the future for society to be aware of the ethical concerns and principles that must be maintained as technology advances, as in the case presented by the lessons of the Bicentennial Man.
Generally, ‘The Bicentennial Man’ by Isaac Asimov goes far beyond its plot to provide valuable observations on the interplay between artificial intelligence and ethics. Asimov builds into Andrew, allowing his functioning to result in a battle between autonomy and embrace among himself and his fellow human beings, a shift that points out conventional assumptions concerning machine behavior and morality. As society struggles with the ethical challenges of technological advancement, Andrew’s story becomes a touchstone of humanity, empathy, duty of care, and tolerance in our interactions with artificial intelligence forces.
References
Anderson, S. L. (2016). Asimov’s “Three Laws of Robotics” and Machine Metaethics. Science Fiction and Philosophy, 290–307. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118922590.ch22
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