Should a Service Robot Bring an Alcoholic a Drink?

An anonymous reader writes: We've come to a point where care robots are being used to assist people with illnesses and mobility problems. They can bring medicine, a glass of water, food, and other items that a person may have trouble getting to on their own. But what limits should we set on these robots? Should they be able to deliver alcoholic beverages? If so, should they refuse to serve them to certain people, like children or alcoholics? The issue is complicated further because these robots may have been purchased by the patient, by the doctor or hospital (which sent it home with the patient to monitor their health), or by a concerned family member who wants to monitor their relative. The latest poll research by the Open Roboethics Initiative looked at people's attitudes about whether a care robot should prioritize its owner's wishes over those of the patient.

Comments

Fridge door handle

[TerryC101]

The robot shouldn't be tasked with this judgment any more that the latch on a fridge door should be asked to keep you an your diet.

Re:Fridge door handle

[DarkOx]

Is it quite that simple? I think a machine should obey its owner to the limits of its capability to do so. For instance your laptop should not let me unlock your desktop session should it? Even if you left it with me meeting room while you went to get some water?

It should however let you unlock it. Maybe if you have so configured it, I should be able to logon as guest and use a web browser but not install software or access your personal files.

The care bot should be the same way. It ought to do what its owners tell it. If I buy a care bot to look after my elderly mother I would want to generally program it to obey her instructions, but maybe I would want to put in a deny list and some event triggers, like if the request includes "chocolate cake" kindly decline and remind her she is diabetic, suggest it could whip up some nice meringues dusted with coco powder if she really wants chocolate.

   

What would a Nurse Do

[l0ungeb0y]

If the robot is owned and operated by a person or organization other than the patient, then the patient should have no say. I fail to see the point here. If anything, it would be very difficult to create a robot that could determine if someone is drunk, much less is a drunk. So most likely, any nursing robot would refuse to serve booze to any patient since that would be a far easier option to implement.

Yes

[nitehawk214]

In my state bartenders are legally obligated to not serve "visibly drunk" patrons. Though only the nicer bars actually follow this rule, and it is more in place so they can easily boot out unruly drunks or bar entry for people that are already wasted before they show up.

A robot bartender in a commercial environment would either need to be able to follow all the same rules or be operated by someone that does.

The question is... If you are in your own home, does the robot count as a bartender, or is it an appliance? My guess is the latter, the responsibility belongs to the operator.

Though it would be amusing to see the door to the refrigerator refuse to open for a drunk person.
"I'm sorry Dave, I think you have already had enough to drink."
"Hey buddy, can you come in to my house and open my fridge for me?"

Re:Consistency

[BarbaraHudson]

By the time we have personal robot attendants, self-driving cars will be the norm. To drunk to drive? No problem, 'cuz you can't even drive them sober.

Re:Should a Service Robot Bring an Alcoholic a Dri

[bill_mcgonigle]

As long as you don't demand that one provide you with sex...

But then, that's a whole other ethical bucket of fish.

Nobody thinks there's an ethical problem with me "forcing" my lawnmower to spin its blade and murder the grass, or torturing my refrigerator by chaining it to a wall and making it go "brrrr" all day.

Machines do what their owners want, end of story - there are no ethical issues unless they affect other people.