New Laws of Robotics

AI is poised to disrupt our work and our lives. We can harness these technologies rather than fall captive to them—but only through wise regulation.Too many CEOs tell a simple story about the future of work: if a machine can do what you do, your job will be automated. They envision everyone from doctors to soldiers rendered superfluous by ever-more-powerful AI. They offer stark alternatives: make robots or be replaced by them.Another story is possible. In virtually every walk of life, robotic systems can make labor more valuable, not less. Frank Pasquale tells the story of nurses, teachers, designers, and others who partner with technologists, rather than meekly serving as data sources for their computerized replacements. This cooperation reveals the kind of technological advance that could bring us all better health care, education, and more, while maintaining meaningful work. These partnerships also show how law and regulation can promote prosperity for all, rather than a zero-sum race of humans against machines.How far should AI be entrusted to assume tasks once performed by humans? What is gained and lost when it does? What is the optimal mix of robotic and human interaction? New Laws of Robotics makes the case that policymakers must not allow corporations or engineers to answer these questions alone. The kind of automation we get—and who it benefits—will depend on myriad small decisions about how to develop AI. Pasquale proposes ways to democratize that decision making, rather than centralize it in unaccountable firms. Sober yet optimistic, New Laws of Robotics offers an inspiring vision of technological progress, in which human capacities and expertise are the irreplaceable center of an inclusive economy.

Thought-provoking…Explores how we can best try to ensure that robots work for us, rather than against us, and proposes a new set of laws to provide a conceptual framework for our thinking on the subject., Pasquale calls for a society-wide reengineering of policy, politics, economics, and labor relations to set technology on a more regulated and egalitarian path…Makes a good case for injecting more bureaucracy into our techno-dreams, if we really want to make the world a better place., Pasquale has explored the myriad ways that technological advances affect how we work, what media we consume, how law is made and enforced, and much more. He brings a refreshingly philosophical, even spiritual, perspective to these discussions, while concretely addressing the problems that arise when robots advance into hospitals, schools, and militaries., We are careening toward a future where machines rule and people are diminished and excluded. In this jewel of a book, Frank Pasquale demonstrates beyond doubt that a machine future is neither inevitable nor desirable, but he does not stop there. Instead, he judiciously constructs the urgently needed alternative, outlining the principles and practices—for technology, public policy, and law—that set us on a new trajectory toward a humane digital future. Citizens and lawmakers, read this book as if our future depends upon it. This is the rare case when it actually does., Frank Pasquale is one of the leading voices on the uneven and often unfair consequences of AI in our society. In this insightful new work, he explains how we can protect workers and foster a world free from harmful and discriminatory technologies. Every policymaker should read this book and seek his counsel.

Frank Pasquale is Professor of Law at Brooklyn Law School and author of The Black Box Society: The Secret Algorithms That Control Money and Information. His work has appeared in the Atlantic, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Guardian, and other outlets.