Anticipatory science fiction to foster ethical debates on AI and robotics

Abstract

The influence that hyperconnectivity and our increasing interaction with machines will have on the evolution of society and on people¿s daily lives is difficult to predict. Thus, when trying to anticipate the potential benefits and risks of information technologies, not just lay people resort to science fiction (SF), but some scholars and even companies do so. Several universities, particularly in the US, include in their Computer Science and Engineering degrees a course on ethics and human values relative to technology. In this context of university education, my novel The Vestigial Heart (MIT Press, 2018) has been published together with online materials to teach a course on Ethics in Social Robotics and AI. Anticipatory literature has always taken science seriously and has tried to project its accomplishments into the future. It seems that science is also starting to take this literature seriously and find inspiration therein. This confluence could be extremely productive and is very good news, opening up interesting perspectives for the coming years.