Should Robots Have Standing? The Moral and Legal Status of Social Robots

This workshop investigates whether social robots should have moral and/or legal status. The question that guides the investigation-Should robots have standing?-refers to Christopher Stone's landmark investigation of the status of natural objects and extends that method of inquiry to technological artifacts that have been designed to elicit and actualize social presence. The workshop assembles a group of interdisciplinary scholars/educators from across the globe, who have extensive experience researching the social impact and consequences of robots, and it aims to develop concrete guidelines for responding to and taking responsibility for the design and deployment of culturally sustainable social robots.