Abstract

In this paper we focus our attention on some techno-ethical questions raised by the recent developments of artificial intelligence research in the areas of robotics and bionics. AI is by constitution multidisciplinary, collecting from a variety of fields, that range from physics to cognitive science, from social sciences to neurobiology. This explains the peculiar role of AI in computer science. To understand the evolution of AI one cannot disregard the impact of cultural and philosophical trends on AI research programs. Nowadays the study of mind cannot prescind from the achievements of neurosciences, which have a strong influence on research work in robotics and bionicst. We provide a technical analysis of the ethical problems linked to AI’s development from the point of view of computer science. Taking into consideration recent works in the areas of robotics and bionics, our thesis is that fundamental properties of computational systems offer a contribution to the assessment of techno-etical issues in these matters