Should Robots Have Rights?

[420lounge]

With AI getting smarter every year, robots becoming more autonomous, and machines starting to “think” and respond like humans a serious question is slowly moving from sci-fi to reality:

Should robots ever have rights?

Right now, machines are tools. They don’t feel, suffer, or possess consciousness (at least as far as we understand). But what happens if AI systems eventually simulate emotion so convincingly that people form real attachments? We already see humans bonding with virtual assistants, game characters, and AI chat systems.

If one day a robot can:

• Learn independently
• Make decisions without direct commands
• Express something that looks like emotion
• Develop a persistent identity
  
  Drop your perspectives :
  
  Do you think robots should never have rights no matter how advanced they become? Or do you believe that at some point, advanced AI could deserve limited protections?

 

[SettingSun77]

No of course they shouldn't ffs.

 

[420lounge]

No of course they shouldn't ffs.

I agree and is there a specific reason or what is your perception to the above ?

 

[SettingSun77]

I agree and is there a specific reason or what is your perception to the above ?

Because they are robots. I could go deeper on this but it will become political. But I think "because they are robots" is quite enough.

 

[proxymw]

Hell nah they are robots with no feelings they have one job and is to do what the human tell them to do.

 

[fd1337]

You're asking if robots should have rights if they have free will. If they start having rights, should they also have obligations? Should we put them in "robot jail" when they commit a crime? In my opinion, the issue of AI rights is a distraction from the fact that the field is poorly regulated and does not listen to ethics experts. A superintelligent AI is a scary thing. It could develop biological weapons totally in secret and destroy its human masters.

For this reason, AI needs to be tightly regulated, to prevent its intelligence from going out of control while we figure out a safety protocol. So, the answer is no: robots should not have rights.

 

[Mrnewbie]

No of course they shouldn't ffs.

 

[proxygo]

Should Robots Have Rights?

No But, if they turn left they better indicate

 

[spygr]

it would be a disaster... poor planet

 

[420lounge]

You're asking if robots should have rights if they have free will. If they start having rights, should they also have obligations? Should we put them in "robot jail" when they commit a crime? In my opinion, the issue of AI rights is a distraction from the fact that the field is poorly regulated and does not listen to ethics experts. A superintelligent AI is a scary thing. It could develop biological weapons totally in secret and destroy its human masters.

For this reason, AI needs to be tightly regulated, to prevent its intelligence from going out of control while we figure out a safety protocol. So, the answer is no: robots should not have rights.

I agree with you but the evolution of robots nowdays have been into a trend of increase.

 

[PetraAnn]

Have we learned nothing from Space Odyssey, Portal or Paranoia?

 

[420lounge]

Have we learned nothing from Space Odyssey, Portal or Paranoia?

I got your point - The real lesson from those stories is “don’t build AI,” it’s “build it with safeguards, transparency, and accountability.”

 

[rahulps3701]

Building on the idea of safeguards and accountability, implementing a three-layer approval process for AI development has proven effective in my experience, with a 95% reduction in unforeseen AI behavior on a recent project. This involved a human review board, an external ethics committee, and a secondary AI system designed to detect and correct potential anomalies. The key is to prioritize transparency and establish clear lines of accountability from the outset, rather than attempting to retroactively regulate AI systems after they've already been developed. This approach allowed us to deploy a high-risk AI system with minimal incidents, and it's a strategy I'd recommend to anyone working with advanced AI.

 

[Adeptus]

Why would we want robots which are like humans in terms of personality? Important asset of the robots is that they are NOT like humans, so You can use them in risky/tedious tasks without the moral problems.

 

[CyberShaman]

Nooo f*k em! Literally

 

[SettingSun77]

Nooo f*k em! Literally

No kink shaming, please. If this member wants to fuck robots that's up to them.

 

[yyiw]

No, if robots can execute commands without my intervention, then a cyborg crisis is imminent.

 

[Sherlok63]

Right now, robots and AI systems don’t have rights because they aren’t conscious beings they’re tools created and controlled by humans, even advanced ones like those developed by OpenAI. Rights are typically tied to sentience, self-awareness, and the capacity to experience harm, which current machines don’t possess.

That said, the debate isn’t really about robots today it’s about the future. If machines ever became truly conscious (which we’re nowhere near proving), then the ethical conversation would shift dramatically. For now, the real focus should be on regulating how humans use AI, not granting rights to the tools themselves.