MEPs set to vote on robot ‘kill switches’ in case they turn on humans

Since the dawn of robotics science fiction writers have explored the possible consequences of what happens when the creations become more intelligent than the creators.

From Arnold Schwarzenegger's Terminator films to Will Smith vehicle I, Robot, the idea that the machines could turn against their human masters has obsessed Hollywood for decades. And it seems that plenty of real life politicians have been paying attention too, with Members of the European Parliament currently debating what legal protections need to be put in place now, before the robots get too clever. A report for MEPs says the world is on the cusp of a "new industrial" robot revolution that could see millions of human's jobs replaced by machines. The report also poses the question of whether robots should be given legal status as "electronic persons" - and suggest that all robots should come with a "kill switch" to enable them to be shut down should they malfunction or pose a threat to people. [caption id="attachment_107111" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Even Dr Who could be powerless to help if the robots turned on us (Photo by Frank Barratt/Getty Images)[/caption]   The report mentions the fact that artificial intelligence could easily outstrip the capabilities of human inventors, and that this could "pose a challenge to humanity's capacity to control its own creation and, consequently, perhaps also to its capacity to be in charge of its own destiny and to ensure the survival of the species". The writers turned to science fiction writer Isaac Asimov's famous 'three laws', which they say should form the basis of how robots operate. The rules - which were used in the I, Robot film - are:

• A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm

• A robot must obey the orders given by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the first law

• A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the first or second laws

Lorna Brazell, a partner at law firm Osborne Clarke, was not convinced by the suggestion that they should be given legal status. "Blue whales and gorillas don't have personhood but I would suggest that they have as many aspects of humanity as robots, so I don't see why we should jump into giving robots this status," she told the BBC. MEPs are set to vote on the legislation, which if passed, will then be referred to member states' governments before EU law is changed.