Are humans becoming data for robots? Questions remain as China makes advances in sector

But China's tech company leaders agree that humans must make the final decisions, not robots. Read more at straitstimes.com.

BOAO, Hainan – As China’s rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) push humanoid robots closer to everyday use, some leaders of the country’s tech companies say they prefer that regulations be developed alongside development in the field, as there is still a long way for the technology to go before it can fulfil humans’ needs.

“We should design mechanisms and consider risks, but we can only start worrying after the technology has been developed. Otherwise, that day will never come,” said Mr Shen Dou, executive vice-president of Chinese tech company Baidu, at a global forum held in Boao, Hainan.

His view – that a “small rapid steps, governance alongside development” approach could be more effective – was shared by his Chinese industry peers at a Boao Forum for Asia panel on humanoid robots on March 25.

They suggested governance frameworks can be refined as the technology advances, as the focus at hand should be on scaling up the technology for commercial viability by making it useful for everyday purposes.

But the tech company leaders agree that humans must make the final decisions, not robots.

In the field of advanced robotics, a fundamental question remains: How are the authorities to govern machines trained on human-generated data and increasingly operating alongside people?