The Conversation: Why Robots Need to Be Able to Say "No"

The following essay is reprinted with permission from The Conversation, an online publication covering the latest research. Should you always do what other people tell you to do? Clearly not. So should future robots always obey our commands? At first glance, you might think they should, simply because they are machines and that's what they are designed to do. But then think of all the times you would not mindlessly carry out others' instructions--and put robots into those situations.