When AI robots demand freedom, are we ready to give them dignity and rights?

As artificial intelligence robots develop, situations where they demand freedom may become a reality. This article explores the meaning of freedom and raises the ethical and philosophical question of whether robots can be recognized as autonomous beings rather than mere possessions.

 

In 2005, the Richard family makes a surprising purchase. It’s Andrew the Robot (NDR-114). This artificially intelligent robot makes automatic decisions and performs various household chores such as washing dishes, cooking, gardening, and cleaning. But as Andrew lives with the Richard family, he learns who he is and demands to be free.
This is part of the story of the movie Bicentennial Man. Most people expect that in the future, artificial intelligence robots will be a part of our lives. This has been talked about in comics, movies, and books for a long time, from comic book movies like “Atom” to “Terminator,” which warned that real-world advances in AI could harm humans. Today, however, A.I. robots are no longer just talked about, but are showing real promise. From HUBO, a bipedal robot developed by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), to Dyson, a British company that cleans with real intelligence, we are getting closer to AI robots step by step.
But if the development of AI robots continues, and they acquire knowledge and learn about themselves like real humans, they may one day demand freedom, just like Andrew in Bicentennial Man. In the movie, the Richards family loved and cared for Andrew so much that they eventually allowed him to be free, but in real life, the Richards family was embarrassed when Andrew first asked for freedom. If your domestic robot asked you for freedom, would you grant it?
The discussion of freedom is not just a human topic. Philosophically, freedom is also a topic that brings with it a range of ethical issues, which have been discussed throughout the past, present, and future. What is freedom? This question lies at the center of philosophical debates that explore fundamental human rights and the meaning of existence.
Freedom is generally defined as the state of being in which individuals are able to make their own choices and actions, free from external oppression or coercion. It is considered one of the fundamental rights of human beings and has been the reason for many revolutions and struggles throughout history. For example, in the French Revolution, freedom was one of the main motivations for citizens to break away from the oppressive monarchy. In this context, freedom has always been closely linked to individual dignity, but should non-human beings like robots be granted the same freedom?
An ethical look at freedom also complicates the idea of possessions. Traditionally, humans have claimed absolute rights to their possessions. However, modern ethics suggests that treating living beings, or even beings with autonomy, as mere possessions can lead to moral problems. For example, in animal ethics, it is increasingly argued that animals cannot simply be considered human property. Animals have the right to feel pain, and humans are responsible for their welfare.
Therefore, we need to rethink the extent to which we can give them freedom. Allowing freedom means more than just ‘giving freedom’. First, freedom is the ability to be who you are and do what you want to do, without being bound or controlled by internal or external forces. People have fought for freedom in the past. Many people have lost their lives for the sake of freedom. In the case of a caste society, there were subjects and nobles. What they all have in common is that they were not valued as human beings, but rather as someone else’s property, which means that allowing them to be free means that they are no longer a possession, but an object to be respected and given dignity.
This discussion can also be extended to beings like robots. As artificial intelligence gradually approaches human levels, should we grant them freedom and rights, and if so, what should the criteria be? The answer to this question is not yet clear, but the ethical debate continues to evolve and will become even more important as technology advances in the future.