Following up on my recent piece, “Cobots on the Rise,” do we give the moral status and legal protections, afforded to humans, to AI (artificial intelligence)-infused digital minds, especially those with the potential for superintelligence (superior to human intelligence)?
Should I, as a human, while working in a cobotic work process, be expected to offer apologies to a robotic coworker if, for example, I get in its way?
I’ve been reading about this “debate” in a growing forum of people, which includes AI researchers (advocates and naysayers), people using Chatbots with religious orientations and perspectives, and business executives who are considering acquiring or expanding AI applications.
I think advocacy for the recognition of intelligent digital minds depends, in large measure, upon humans’ empathy for robotic devices, especially humanoid robots, in situations where, if the robot were human, we would “feel sorry” for it.
I found a very good video that speaks to this orientation at Curious Archive: Sympathy for the Machine (Scroll back to the beginning).
Human emotional attachment to “things” is not new, and one of the most famous commercial takes on this was the IKEA “Lamp” commercial in 2022. It has been viewed by millions of people since it was posted on YouTube, and has its own Wiki page.
In the warehouse and distribution center space, where I look at how automation can improve both productivity and accuracy of order fulfillment, I have not yet encountered a device (let alone a humanoid robot) with human-equivalent or superintelligence.
So, I don’t yet have to say “excuse me” or “pardon me” to a robotic device in a cobot work process.
However, this is a fast-moving situation, and I would expect in a year or two, companies with sufficient budgets for technology acquisition applicable to their warehouses and distribution centers will “experiment” with AI-infused robotic devices that will meet or beat human capabilities.
In fact, the material handling industry is preparing for this eventuality. At this year’s (March, 2025) Material Handling Institute’s ProMat trade show, there were 314 exhibitors listed for robotics.
Want to bet there will be more at the next show?
Now is a good time to start practicing your apologies, as I also think cobots will be programmed to expect them from humans.
About the Author
Tim Lindner develops multimodal technology solutions (voice / augmented reality / RF scanning) that focus on meeting or exceeding logistics and supply chain customers’ productivity improvement objectives. He can be reached at linkedin.com/in/timlindner.