Case of the Killer Robot Discussion CPS 004.1, 22 July 2003

Due at the beginning of class, Thursday, 7/24

This reading assignment and work are to be done outside of class. You may work with a partner. Use the web to find answers to the questions below and include a URL (when appropriate) that gives more information about answers to the questions below.

Create a copy of this web page and edit your copy to include your answers to the questions below and add a link to your completed page from your respective course web page. In your completed page, do not delete the original question, but simply insert your answer under the appropriate question.

Questions

First read through The Case of the Killer Robot by Richard Epstein quickly to get a general idea of what is going on. Then re-read carefully in as much detail as necessary to answer the following questions:

How much input should a worker have into the process of designing a computer system with which she will have to work?
Suppose you were asked to investigate the robot accident, generate a list of possible causes of such an accident and possible suspects?
Given that CyberWidgets wants to place the Robbie CX30 robot back on line as soon as possible, under what conditions would you be comfortable with the Robbie CX30 returning to service?
Note the differences between "accidental death by firearm" and "accidental death by poorly programmed robot". Should the law make such a distinction? Should such laws stress punishment or prevention?

Finally, evaluate the ethical aspects of the behavior of two key players in the case scenario, Randy Samuels and Ray Johnson. Specifically,

how they acted,
what their motivations were,
what their responsibilities were with respect to co-workers, clients, the organization, etc.
and what ethical arguments they might have used to justify their actions.

Try to determine responsible or irresponsible behavior, not guilt or innocence.

What to hand in

When you are finished, you should transfer the modified web page to your respective public_html/cps4 folder in the acpub system and update your course web page to link to the newly transferred page. If you worked with a partner, make sure this is made clear on your web page.