INTRODUCTION:

Artificial Intelligence and Robotics have become an indispensable and booming part of the IT industry. There are numerous ways by which their use has been remoulding our daily lives. AI and robotics are two divergent concepts which are often mistakenly used as interchangeable terms. AI involves programming intelligence whereas robotics involves fabricating robots.

AI is a branch of computer science that involves developing computer programs to complete tasks which would otherwise require human intelligence which encompass planning, recognizing, understanding natural language, learning and solving problems. Smartphone is a felicitous example to show how we use artificial intelligence in our daily application. However, robotics is a branch of technology dealing with robots which are programmable contrivances used to carry out series of activities autonomously or semi-autonomously.¹ Manav is the first 3-D printed humanoid robot in India² which is primarily meant for research, education and entertainment purposes.³ Also, robots have been used for serving food to the customers in a restaurant operating in Chennai.⁴

AI and robotics are proving to be beneficial for the society as they are making human life more facile. AI and the use of robots’ augments efficiency and throughput, emancipates the workloads of humans, helps in error reduction, enhances our lifestyle, increases automation, resolves complex social issues, surpass the demand side management, exonerates humans of all encumbrances, escalates ingenuity, benefits multiple industries and strengthens the economy.⁵ Machines and robots think faster than humans and can perform more laborious, monotonous, dangerous and multiple tasks without wearing out easily and hence overcome the human limitations. Robots and artificial intelligence tend to pose a risk to people’s jobs. At one side of the coin, AI and robotics are boon for the society whereas on the other side of the coin there are some potential risks on their application which could outweigh the benefits. The advancement in the technology has not only proven to resolve the complex problems but it has also raised many issues within the legal system and moral spectrum.

Pros and Cons of AI and Robotics:

There is an ongoing debate in the Tech world with regards to the use of AI and Robotics as in whether its operation is useful or detrimental for the society?

AI is playing a predominant role in our daily lives and has considerable valuable effects on us. AI have been used in diverse fields which we can apply in our daily life. AI is used in smartphones (in the form of pikazo or photo augmentation apps and smart assistants: google assistant, Siri, Alexa or Bixby); smart cars and drones (semi-automatic cars- Tesla cars or autonomous drones); social media feeds (in the form of notifications or suggestions- AI records one’s actions and aims to make the apps addictive so that you visit them again and again); music and media streaming services (in the form of recommended video/show section on YouTube/Netflix or pre- created playlist on Spotify); online ads network (AI not only tracks the user’s statistics but also serves ads based on those statistics); navigation and travel (use of google/ apple maps for navigation, booking a flight ticket or online cab); banking and finance (in the form of customer service, investment, fraud protection or automated emails); smart home devices (smart thermostats that adjust temperatures according to one’s preferences and smart lights that can change the intensity and colour of lights) and security and surveillance (use of technologies like facial recognition or object recognition).⁶

Correspondingly, robots are gaining limelight these days as they are exemplary replacement for humans in performing the tasks which involves dangerous, dull or dirty activities. The deployment of telerobots, space probes, military robots, mining robots, research robots and industrial robots help in reducing the menace for the humans.⁷ Nowadays, humanoid robots are also gaining much of the public attention. The humanoid robots (especially those with AI algorithms) are used as research tools in multifarious scientific areas. Apart from research field, humanoid robots are being developed to perform various tasks like personal assistance, reception- desk administrators, automotive manufacturing line workers and entertainment.⁸ Sophia, is the first humanoid robot that has been granted a nationality (citizenship of Saudi Arabia).⁹ The grant of legal personhood to Sophia was condemned as it raised several ethical concerns.¹⁰

Despite of eclectic advantages, the use of AI and robotics have been reprimanded on various grounds. Firstly, huge costs are involved in their creation, repair and maintenance. In order to meet the needs of the dynamic environment, their software programs need to be frequently upgraded. Hence, it takes a lot of time and money to build, revamp and overhaul them. Secondly, as the machines are programmed, they cannot make a distinction between what is right or wrong as they lack emotions and conscience unlike humans. Also, they cannot make decisions if they encounter an unfamiliar situation. Hence, machines are unable to reorient their responses to changing environment. Thirdly, substitution of humans with machines can engender large scale unemployment. Also, increase reliance on the machines can deteriorate their creative skills and thinking capabilities and tend to make them indolent. Fourthly, humans can misemploy and create havoc with these machines. Hence, AI and robotics can cause a serious threat to mankind if put in the wrong hands.¹¹ Fifthly, the use of AI and robotics has also raised several legal issues that revolve around intellectual property rights, competition law, cyber law, liability issues and privacy.

The ethics of AI and Robotics:

Indeed, the intelligent machines are transforming our lives for the better, but one needs to be aware of the social, moral and ethical implications these technologies pose. The elevation of AI and robotics has not only escalated legal convolutions, but it has also raised several moral and ethical concerns.

Job Displacement:

In the long run, there is a trepidation that AI and robots will take over many of the human jobs which would cause a significant amount of social unrest. Hence, unemployment will be the most pressing social issue with respect to AI technologies and robotics.¹² There are predictions that in the next decades about millions of the people will be unemployed. Humans will be substituted by smart robots and intelligent machines which would perform monotonous, treacherous, filthy and tedious tasks in an efficient manner. The sectors that will be adversely affected by AI and Robotics include transportation (with the evolution of fully autonomous cars, the demand for professional drivers would drop down), electronic commerce (the importance of salespersons and networks of physical stores will dwindle), traditional professions (the AI agents/ robots will substitute legal/ medical/academic professionals)¹³, financial sector (banks and insurance companies- e.g. HDFC bank had deployed a humanoid robot called IRA 2.0 to guide and assist the customers).¹⁴ At one hand, the outcome of using AI technologies and golems will be productive whereas on the other hand, it will cause unemployment which will impact the economic growth of the country.

Not up to the mark: make mistakes+ failed to confront with the problem of free flow of misinformation and fake news:

AI and robotics could reduce the error rate but cannot eliminate it. Alike any other technological system, robotics and AI systems can make mistakes. E.g., In the U.S., a woman was hit and killed by an Uber self-driving car.¹⁵ Also, the use of AI in autocorrect or predictive typing¹⁶ does not always bring out the correct results. Hence, the technology of today has failed to understand the context of the text.

Furthermore, artificial intelligence has failed to resolve the prevalent problem of fake news and misinformation on social media. AI is not up to the job when it comes curtailing fake news. The challenges of fabricating an automated false news filter with AI are innumerable. From a technical outlook, artificial intelligence fails on several levels because it fails to understand human writing the way humans do. It can pull out definite facts and do a rudimentary sentiment analysis (based on the keywords), but it fails to understand nuances of tone, contemplate cultural context, or ring someone up to authenticate information. And even if it can do all this, which would knock out the most apparent disinformation and hoaxes, it would eventually run up against extremity cases that baffle even humans. If people on the left and the right can’t concur on what is and is not false news, there is no way that we can edify a machine to make that decision for us.¹⁷

Threat To Human Dignity:

AI technologies and robots cannot supplant humans in the positions that entail care, tenderness, veneration and conscience. One can’t have a robotic or AI based customer service representative, therapist, care assistant, judge, soldier or police officer. Machines can’t supersede humans where one requires an empathetic and virtuous feeling from these positions. If machines substitute these positions, we will find ourselves in an estranged, ludicrous and devalued environment. Hence, if AI technologies or robots are used in this way, it will represent a threat to human dignity.¹⁸ It is a cakewalk to feed intelligence in the machines and technologies, but one cannot impart emotions and conscience in them.

Weaponization of Artificial Intelligence:

The use of autonomous weapons and military robots have induced a debate among roboticists, military planners and ethicists. The application of weapons with little or no human oversight is a matter of great concern. Autonomous weapons have been delineated as the third mutiny in warfare, after gunpowder and nuclear weapons. Deputation of life or death making decision to a non-human is of recurring prime concern as it will be difficult for autonomous weapons systems to ascertain who is a combatant and who is a civilian? Authorizing AI to make autonomous decisions with respect to targeting will most likely to cause unacceptable collateral destruction and civilian casualties. Also, in case of autonomous weapons systems, it will be difficult to determine the accountability as in who shall be held accountable for their wrongful acts? It will be mystifying to judge whether the flawed decision of the AI is due to flaws in the program or in the autonomous deliberations of the AI- equipped machines.¹⁹ Compendiously, artificial intelligence weapons are more dangerous than the human operated weapons as they pose an instantaneous danger and can cause catastrophic disasters in the future.

Moreover, the use of robots as military combats (wherein they are given some degree of autonomous functions) is perilous, inimical and can cause a mass destruction. Autonomous robots will have the ability to make their own independent and logical decisions as in to whom shall they kill and devastate? Hence, the utilization of AI weapons and military robots should be curtailed, if not proscribed altogether, for multitudinous legal and moral reasons.

CONCLUSION:

Technologies (be it television, computer, internet or smartphones) had never been welcomed wholeheartedly or without any complaints and controversies. If utilized in a proper, efficient and smart manner, the benefits would outweigh the potential harms. Also, too much reliance on AI and robotics in crucial areas like professional jobs (medical, legal, care assistants, defence and judiciary) and autonomous weapons will create more and more complexities. Hence, there is a need to have a proper discourse in order to evaluate the pros and cons of such advancements. We need to be aware of potential dangers of these technologies so that timely and wisely action can be taken in order to avoid unintended and dire consequences in the future.

Indeed, the use of artificial intelligence and robotics has made our world better. But at the same time, it has also introduced certain vulnerabilities which must be confronted. It has raised several legal, ethical and moral implications which are yet to be addressed. There is no proper regulatory framework or channels to modulate them. Therefore, there is a need for the policy makers to actively indulge with the issues pertaining to AI and robotics. Other organizations such as the NGO’s, IT industries, commercial businesses, military departments, law makers, education sector and media should also collectively come together in order to create awareness and address these issues.

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Received on 06.11.2024 Revised on 11.12.2024

Accepted on 08.01.2025 Published on 17.03.2025

Available online from March 26, 2025

Asian Journal of Management. 2025;16(1):66-69.

DOI: 10.52711/2321-5763.2025.00011

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