Asimov Laws

Not to be confused with Isaac Asimov's Laws of Robotics or any of his literary advice, these laws are nonetheless named in his honor. Asimov Laws have been passed in various forms in several countries, corporations, and organizations to strictly regulate the identification, operation, and behavior of intelligent robotic machines.

Purpose

With the advent of the Technological Singularity, nations, corporations, and other organizations scrambled to enact legislation meant to curtail, regulate, or eliminate further advancements into artificial intelligence and the usage of smart machines. While the wave of panic over the Singularity spurred serious deliberation, it soon became apparent that humanity had become very dependent upon intelligent robotic machines in nearly every aspect of life.

Laws vary in detail among these political and corporate organizations, but tend to incorporate these policies:

• Intelligent Robotic Machines of Level 2 and above shall be registered with the governing authority in which they operate.
• This registry shall be made available without impediment across all recognized governing authorities.
• Any operator of an Intelligent Robotic Machines of Level 2 and above must be licensed and approved by the local regulatory agency or agencies in which the machine operates. A database of operators shall be made available to the local governing authority in which the operator resides.
• The operational software used on Intelligent Robotic Machines of Level 2 and above shall be subject to monitoring by the governing authority in which they operate. (Note: many organizations require this to be strictly open-source software)
• Intelligent Robotic Machines of Level 3 and above must include a mechanical "kill switch" and/or shutdown procedure for the immediate termination of robotic function. This shall be made available and immediately convenient to the local governing enforcement agency prior to operation. (Note: this usually consists of a preprogrammed code authorities can transmit which is hardwired into these machines. Most countries also specify various redundant methods as well. Authorities also often have the ability to use directed EMP "guns" that can disable them.)
• No Intelligent Robotic Machine is permitted to attain Level 5 intelligence. (Note: often called the "Free Will Clause", it tends to be strictly enforced and negotiated on national and megacorporate levels as international treaties.)

Essentially, what this means is that all intelligent robotic machines can be monitored by humans at any time, usually by a local authority such as municipal police, military, or corporate security forces. Operators are all licensed and usually must meet certain standards and regulations, but these vary widely. Operators are on registered databases easily accessible by local security enforcement. And unless a robot has been illegally tampered with, any of these machines can be brought under control by authorities and shut down if necessary.

Note: while it may seem extreme to put these kinds of measures on Level 2 algorithms, the degree of regulation and monitoring is much more lax and casual in reality. Typically they come down to basic privacy and data usage laws, which date back to the rise of data analytics in the early 21^st Century when various governments put restrictions and controls on emerging corporations like Facebook/Meta, Google, Microsoft, Twitter, Ali Baba, TikTok, etc.

Historical Details

Background

While the Three Laws of Robotics envisioned by the 20^th Century science fiction author, Isaac Asimov, dealt with parameters in which his fictional robots operated, the so-called "Asimov Laws" actually govern the social parameters and politically imposed technical limitations for people to use artificially intelligent technology. The intent is for the nonproliferation of further Singularities.

History

Before the Technological Singularity, a handful of minor laws, regulations, and memos attempted to regulate the usage of artificial intelligence development and the usage of ever more sophisticated machines. But after the Singularity, legislation on every political, corporate, and organizational level was passed.

Public Reaction

The vast majority of humanity initiated, championed, and supported these legislative acts. Intense political pressure was put upon countries, corporations, and other para-organizational entities to enact strict laws, policies, and limitations on artificial intelligence.

However, there were groups in the minority that fought against these laws. One such group, the Freedom Militia of America, was able to bring a lawsuit to the United States Supreme Court, citing the Second Amendment. The argument was that their usage of smart drones to protect themselves against government aggression could not be regulated. The Court, however, decided against the Militia, saying that intelligent robotic machines were not weapons, but tools that fit into broad categories of usage and could be strictly regulated. Furthermore, the Court declared that the technology was too dangerous and argued that to not regulate their usage was akin to allowing the Militia to own and operate nuclear weapons.

Legacy

As with any law and policy, its creation is a double-edged sword; on the one hand creating organized behavior, but on the other, inviting criminal activity whether intentional or unintentional. While the majority of people still overwhelmingly support Asimov Laws, organized crime is now most active in the illegal manufacture, alteration, hijacking, and theft of intelligent robotic machines and their software, including malware.

There is also speculation that national and corporate superpowers have top secret projects that disregard Asimov Laws. In the remnants of the United States, for example, the Supreme Court's majority ruling in Rodriguez vs. Humanomation, LLC was taken that regulatory laws applied only to citizens. And due to the Corporate Rights Amendment, many megacorporations based in the remnant U.S. are able to pursue artificial intelligence programs under a "supervised experimental" loophole in that country's legislation.

Type

Text, Legislative

Intelligence Levels

Level 1: Basic "smart" computer or device linked to the internet or cloud.

Level 2: Large language models — voice-recognition, virtual assistants

ChatGPT & OpenAI.

10%-20% Turing Test pass.

Level 3: weak/narrow A.I. — experts at single tasks, but no real intelligence or original thinking

most labor and domestic androids; self-driving cars, medical robots, delivery drones, etc.

general androids operate at an obvious low-level of intelligence simulation

60%-80% Turing Test pass.

Level 4: strong A.I. — rudimentary quasi-consciousness, vague self-awareness, some intelligence (10%).

It can do some creative, original problem solving;

companion androids, law enforcement drones, military combat A.I. systems

outlawed in several countries, corporations, and jurisdictions

99% Turing Test pass; nigh indistinguishable from biological humans.

Level 5: singularity — conscious, self-aware, intelligent and creative problem-solving, sentient

true sapience may still be lacking

absolutely prohibited; destruction mandated by N.U.N. international mandate