[Special Issue News] Q&A: Robots and the law

Should driverless cars be allowed on the roads? Should robots capable of thought be accorded rights as sentient beings? Ryan Calo, a lawyer at the University of Washington School of Law in Seattle, tackles these and other questions in "Robots and the Lessons of Cyberlaw," a paper that will appear in the California Law Review next spring. Science caught up with Calo recently on the murky questions surrounding robo rights and responsibilities. Among other things, Calo argues that robots tend to undermine the clean distinction between a thing and a person, but he doesn't think society will create "stand-alone rights" for robots. Author: Dennis Normile
Source: Science: This Week - Category: Science Authors: Source Type: research