Robohub.org
ep.

060

podcast
 

The law with Ryan Calo


by
10 September 2010



share this:

This episode focuses on the legal and ethical implications of robotics. Ryan Calo from the Stanford Law School discusses the big impact of liability legislation on the progress of robotics and the impact robots have on your privacy.

Ryan Calo

Ryan Calo is a senior research fellow at Stanford Law School and expert in robots and the law, subject which he actively blogs and tweets about. Prior to joining the law school in 2008, Calo was an associate at Covington & Burling, LLP, where he advised companies on issues of data security, privacy, and telecommunications. He now runs the Consumer Privacy Project at the Center for Internet & Society at Stanford. As an expert in his field he also serves on several advisory and program committees, including Computers Freedom Privacy 2010, the Future of Privacy Forum, and National Robotics Week.In recent years, he’s been thinking about the implications of robots in our society. His forte resides in considering liability issues companies face when commercializing robots and privacy issues that creep up when robots enter our everyday lives.One of the main discussions looks at whether manufacturers, users or even robots should be responsible for robots and their actions and what implications that holds on how freely industry will be able to roll out new robots into our societies.

The second topic looks at how robots will impact our privacy when roaming freely in our homes and workplaces. Obvious questions include what happens with all the potentially sensitive material such as images and sounds stored in the robots memory and risks of potential hacking. Another less discussed topic touches on our loss of “solitude” when robots that are perceived as human-like enter our space.

Finally, we look at the far future with questions about how the law should consider robots with human-level intelligence.

Poll

>With so many questions about the future, we couldn’t resist putting up a poll to have your opinion. The question we’re asking you today is :If robots become as intelligent as us, should they be considered as equal by the law?Make sure you take the poll and debate in the comments section below or on our forum.


Links:


Latest News:
For more information on this week’s news on Telepresence and CMU’s tree-climbing snakebot have a look at the Robots Forum.



tags: ,


Podcast team The ROBOTS Podcast brings you the latest news and views in robotics through its bi-weekly interviews with leaders in the field.
Podcast team The ROBOTS Podcast brings you the latest news and views in robotics through its bi-weekly interviews with leaders in the field.

            AUAI is supported by:



Subscribe to Robohub newsletter on substack



Related posts :

Robot Talk Episode 162 – The robot doctor will see you now

  26 Jun 2026
In this special live recording at the Great Exhibition Road Festival in London, Claire chatted to George Mylonas (Imperial College London), Antonia Tzemanaki (University of Bristol) and Tom Vercauteren (King’s College London) about robotics and AI in medicine and healthcare.

AI brings object-level vision prosthetics closer to reality

  23 Jun 2026
Researchers are developing AI models that could one day enable vision prosthetics able to restore meaningful, object-level sight for the blind.

AURA Foresight Reaches Global XPRIZE Wildfire Finals in Alaska

  19 Jun 2026
One of only four teams remaining from more than 130 competitors worldwide, our team AURA Foresight is developing autonomous technology to stop wildfires before they grow out of control. AURA Foresi...

Robot Talk Episode 161 – Collaborative haptic systems, with Allison Okamura

  19 Jun 2026
In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Allison Okamura from Stanford University about developing advanced robotic systems for haptic (touch) interaction.

New research enables a robot to chart a better course

  17 Jun 2026
By rapidly generating a smooth path plan that cuts travel time and avoids obstacles, the open-source “MIGHTY” system could streamline disaster recovery and parcel delivery.

Entangled robotic matter with cohesive motion

  15 Jun 2026
Engineers have developed a robotic collective that behaves less like a machine and more like a material that flows.

Robot Talk Episode 160 – Robotic blacksmiths, with Edward Mehr

  12 Jun 2026
In the latest episode of the Robot Talk podcast, Claire chatted to Edward Mehr from Machina Labs about their RoboCraftsman that shapes complex metal parts for the aerospace, defence, and automotive industries.

Congratulations to the #AAMAS2026 best paper award winners

  08 Jun 2026
Find out who won in the categories of best paper, best student paper, and best blue sky paper.



AUAI is supported by:







Subscribe to Robohub newsletter on substack




 















©2026.05 - Association for the Understanding of Artificial Intelligence