Robotics is a field of artificial intelligence (otherwise known as AI). Although it may seem scary to think of robots taking over the world, robots have been monumental in the advancement of many major industries (including the medical industry) in such a short space of time. 

With that being said, there are a few legal issues to iron out in the sector before robots become commonplace. Here are just some of them. 

How has the robotics market evolved in recent years?

Firstly, it’s important to look at how the robotics market has changed in recent years before we can think about the legal challenges. 

Robots aren’t a new concept per se, but it’s only been in recent years that the development of robots has grown exponentially. 

The first robot was invented in the 1960s. Heavily inspired by Hollywood films, ‘Shakey’ the robot was a world first and was equipped with sensors that allowed it to move around by itself. After that, robots began springing up in factories all over the world, helping speed up production lines by taking over humans.  

Since then, robots have continued to intrigue and impress the world. But it’s not just factories that use robots. In recent years, robots have become even more commonplace, with many households (and companies) now having robot vacuum cleaners in their own home! 

Pretty cool, right? 

What are the legal issues facing the AI robotics industry in 2022?

As incredible as robots are, there are a few key legal issues facing the robotics industry. The main ones are:

Intellectual property 

Robots may have access to information about a certain place. For example, your robot may have access to information such as site plans, drawings and designs. With robotics, the users need to be reassured that this data is not being passed to suppliers without prior consent. 

Furthermore, as robots respond to visual and audio cues via a microphone, robots might be capable of collecting personal data.  If so, they could be breaching data protection laws. 

Ethical issues 

There are also ethical issues associated with robots. For example, a robot cannot harm or injure a human being, whether that’s through action or inaction. If robots do this, this poses a legal challenge as the robot will have broken the First Law. 

Maintenance 

Robots need a certain level of maintenance to ensure they function as they should. Therefore, one legal issue that arises is to do with who is responsible for training the robot or providing the software. 

Risk allocation

Finally, there’s risk allocation. 

Risk allocation is one of the biggest legal challenges facing the robotics industry. It’s all to do with who carries the risk of errors, defective work or even harm from a robot. Deciphering whether that is covered by insurance or if the burden is on the user is a key legal challenge that’s set to bring some healthy debate within the industry. 

The bottom line…

Robots are here to stay. Although it may sound scary, robots have been helping to advance many industries, dramatically improving our lives. But they aren’t without their fair share of challenges. 

What’s next for the industry is unknown, but what we do know is that there are exciting times ahead of us. 

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