Autonomous technology is a term that refers to machines or software that is capable of carrying out a prescribed series of operations or tasks with little or no human intervention. Autonomous technology is often used in the military and robotics, although it has been implemented in other places, such as in manufacturing plants and even at home.
Some examples of autonomous technology include things such as a Roomba or automatic car washes. In addition, there has been a rise in the use of unmanned vehicles, including military drones. Today we are approaching an age where robots and other machines could be considered self-sufficient.
Autonomous Technology and Ethical or Moral Issues
In the midst of this, there is much controversy over the ethical and moral issues that can arise from such technology. Because of this, laws have been created to ensure that we use our machines in ways that are beneficial to society and that do not violate any rights or infringe upon them.
Self Driving Cars
One example can be found in the idea of self-driving cars. While there is no denying that they can be very beneficial, people worry about the dangers of handing complete control over their cars to computers. What if we are faced with a situation where an autonomous car has malfunctioned and is on a collision course with an innocent human one day? Who will accept the blame for it? How much liability will fall onto the company that created that car?
What’s more, these cars are capable of carrying out a range of different functions and behaviors. So how will we ensure that they don’t become overly aggressive or exhibit other potentially dangerous behavior? These are all questions that need to be answered before self-driving cars can become truly autonomous.
Robotics
Robotics is another area where technology is pushing the boundaries of what we know and understand to be possible. While there are many incredible examples of this, one that stands out is the invention of autonomous robots capable of carrying out surgery. They have been used to put together a broken arm in a hospital in Singapore by themselves. That’s pretty impressive!
Technology is amazing and allows us to accomplish things that we may have never achieved before. But with great power comes greater responsibility, so it’s up to all of us in the scientific community to be very careful about how we incorporate autonomous technology into our lives. It will be critical for the future of our species if we can do this.