Robot ordered to write lines as punishment for crime it hasnt committed yet

A robotic arm writes repeated promises not to hurt humans in artist Filipe VilasBoas and architect Paul Coudamy s installation The Punishment. The piece which is being shown at digital festival Futur en Seine in Paris from 8 to 10 June was designed to raise awareness of the looming threat of automation, and address people s fear and fascination with robots. Sat at a typical wooden school desk, the orange arm continually writes the same phrase I must not hunt humans in a notebook placed in front of it. VilasBoas considers it a preventive punishment for its possible future disobedience. The artist chose the phrase as a reference to science fiction author Isaac Asimov s Three Laws of Robotics, devised in 1942 and used as a plot point in a number of his stories. They call for a robot to refrain from injuring any human being, to protect them from harm and to obey their orders. Technologies are merging at high speed, notably