Robot technology and the questions we should be asking

Robot technology and the questions we should be asking. Confused about the ethics of smart technology? Want to know more about the possible impact of such systems on your work, your wellbeing, your autonomy? An invitation for people to voice their ethical and social concerns about the future of robot technology - from driverless cars to military drones - is being issued by the organisers of a conference at the University of Sussex. The event, ' Robots and You', is part of the programme of the European Network for the Advancement of Artificial Cognitive Systems, Interaction and Robotics (EUCog), conference, which takes place at the University's Falmer campus on October 23 and 24. Members of the public are being encouraged to submit their questions and comments via the web ( robotsandyou.eucognition.org ), twitter (#robotsandyou) or to send videos and audio files to robotsandyouvideos [a] eucognition (p) org. A selection will then be discussed by a panel consisting of leading academics in the field and those involved in the development of cognitive technology, with representatives from industry, the military, healthcare and the media. Co-organiser Dr Ron Chrisley, Director of the Centre for Research in Cognitive Science at the University of Sussex and a member of the Sussex Neuroscience group, says: "Smart technology is advancing at such a rapid rate that we'll be seeing systems taking over and making decisions that we may not agree with.