Free live-stream: 17 May, 1:30pm PDT (20:30 GMT)

Robotics is going to change the world – at least that is what we hear, see and read daily in the news. The digitalization of the world was just the first step; the next will be its automation. Over the next few decades, robotics, automation and AI will permeate all areas of our living realm and our grandchildren will grow up as the first Generation R of Robotic Natives. So-called “Social Robots” – robots directly interacting with humans and supporting them at work, in shops, in their homes or even in hospitals and homes for the elderly – will have particular impact on how we perceive robotic help in our lives and if we consider it something useful or dehumanizing.

Sponsored by the IEEE TechEthics program, "Ethics in AI: Impacts of (Anti?)Social Robotics" will consider whether this sub-domain of service robotics will more likely be regarded as an element bringing people closer together, e.g. bridging communication gaps and re-enabling people with physical challenges to participate in daily life, or if it will have anti-social effects, separating us even further from each other and locking people into a dystopic bubble of digitalized content and automated living spaces.

The 2019 IEEE Vision, Innovation, and Challenges Summit (IEEE VIC Summit) is an event run by the IEEE Awards Program, which preserves an awards portfolio that recognizes excellence in our technical and professional communities worldwide. Learn more at: https://ieee-vics.org/