Robotics, Ethics, and China

Emergent technologies present particular difficulties for ethical assessment. Such innovations must be evaluated in terms of device, system, design, and policy. Robotics is an example where ethical assessment is required. The deployment of key cultural traditions offers a way to evaluate an emergent technology. The Chinese traditions of puppetry and ritual formation are particularly appropriate in appraising novel robotic developments. These traditions suggest four appropriate ethical guidelines for the possible deployment of robot technologies.