The term 'robot'

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The term 'robot'

by BTGmoderatorDC » Thu Sep 21, 2017 6:40 am
The term 'robot' was first used to denote fictional automata in a 1921 play by the Czech writer, Karel ÄŒapek. As robots have become more advanced and sophisticated, experts and academics have increasingly explored the questions of what ethics might govern robots' behavior, and whether robots might be able to claim any kind of social, ethical or legal rights. Recent advances have made robotic behavior more sophisticated, suggesting that robots will become smarter than humans in a not so distant future, making even more complex the management of such ethical dilemmas.

Which of the following, if true, would most seriously question the conclusion above?

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A) Robots are currently used in a variety of applications including factory automation and education

B) The versions of robots popularized by the movie industry and by novels are largely inaccurate predictions as they have been developed with the purpose to entertain the general public

C) It is not easy to extrapolate the future rate of development in robot intelligence, as a range of unknowns come into play

D) It is not easy to extrapolate the future rate of development in robot intelligence, as a range of unknowns come into play

E) Ethics is not relevant to robots as they are not humans they cannot think like a human would


I am still confused on how they get Option E as the right answer? Can some experts help me please? Thank you


OA E

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by Vincen » Wed Oct 11, 2017 5:50 pm
Options A and B don't mention anything about the ethical problems. So, they are out.

But, option C (equal D), talks about something which could affect the conclusion. Doesn't it? Any expert could tell me how to discard option C? Thanks.

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by EconomistGMATTutor » Fri Oct 20, 2017 12:59 pm
First off, this is a somewhat faulty question. Obviously, two choices are identical. Furthermore, the grammar is Choice E is not correct, which might lead to some confusion.

The conclusion: Robots will become smarter than humans in a not so distant future, making even more complex the management of such ethical dilemmas.

The evidence is everything else, but the correct choice pretty directly attacks the conclusion. If ethics is not relevant to robots, then there will be no ethical dilemmas.

Choice C was asked about. This says that it's not easy to figure out how quickly robot intelligence will develop. Okay, so it's hard. How does this affect the conclusion? It doesn't. Also, the conclusion does say that robots will become smarter than humans "in a not so distant future," but that's an open-ended phrase. If most experts say that the robots will surpass us in 15 years but it turns out to be 30 . . . the conclusion is not weakened.

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by BTGmoderatorDC » Wed Jan 10, 2018 12:16 am
Vincen wrote:Options A and B don't mention anything about the ethical problems. So, they are out.

But, option C (equal D), talks about something which could affect the conclusion. Doesn't it? Any expert could tell me how to discard option C? Thanks.
Thanks a lot!