Security News > 2023 > September > On Robots Killing People

The robot revolution began long ago, and so did the killing.

The one-ton robot continued to work silently, smashing into Williams's head and instantly killing him.

A malfunctioning robot he went to inspect killed him when he obstructed its path, according to Gabriel Hallevy in his 2013 book, When Robots Kill: Artificial Intelligence Under Criminal Law.

As Hallevy puts it, the robot simply determined that "The most efficient way to eliminate the threat was to push the worker into an adjacent machine." From 1992 to 2017, workplace robots were responsible for 41 recorded deaths in the United States-and that's likely an underestimate, especially when you consider knock-on effects from automation, such as job loss.

Any regulation of industrial robots stems from existing industrial regulation, which has been evolving for many decades.

As we move into a future where robots are becoming integral to our lives, we can't forget that safety is a crucial part of innovation.

News URL

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2023/09/on-robots-killing-people.html