Socially-responsible robotics

Socially-responsible robotics illustration

Technology is never developed in a vacuum and can have profound consequences on people’s lives. We believe that technology should be transparently developed by a diverse group of people and focus on socially responsible applications. It is our duty to think about the social implications of our work, to align our research goals with our societal aspirations, to educate others about our work and ourselves about societal issues raised by technology, and to ensure an equitable and beneficial access to technology for everyone across the world.

Our laboratory and its individuals are involved in a wide breadth of activities from STEM education to the active participation in discussions on societal impacts of technology.

Importantly, to ensure that our research activities align with our societal aspirations, our laboratory does not pursue funding nor collaborate with organizations whose primary goal is the development of technology for military or policing applications.

The laboratory is associated with the Center of Urban Science and Progress, the NYU Alliance for Public Interest Technologies and L. Righetti is a member of the IEEE Robotics and Automation Research and Practice Ethics Committee and regularly participates in experts meeting with NGOs on the regulation of autonomous weapon systems.

Selected publications

  1. T. Bretl, L. Righetti, R. Madhavan, "Epstein, Project Maven, and Some Reasons to Think About Where We Get Our Funding [Ethical, Legal, and Societal Issues]," IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine, vol. 26, no. 4, pp. 8–13, Dec, 2019.
  2. L. Righetti, R. Madhavan, R. Chatila, "Unintended Consequences of Biased Robotic and Artificial Intelligence Systems [Ethical, Legal, and Societal Issues]," IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine, vol. 26, no. 3, pp. 11–13, Sep, 2019.
  3. Q. Pham, R. Madhavan, L. Righetti, W. Smart, R. Chatila, "The Impact of Robotics and Automation on Working Conditions and Employment [Ethical, Legal, and Societal Issues]," IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine, vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 126–128, Jun, 2018.
  4. L. Righetti, Q. Pham, R. Madhavan, R. Chatila, "Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems [Ethical, Legal, and Societal Issues]," IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 123–126, Mar, 2018.