C316 Technolgy Management and Professional Issues and D03 Computer Management: Coursework 1:  "Asimov's" Laws of Informatics: Fiction or Useful Artefacts?

10%,  Set 29/1/02,  to be completed by 4/3/02.

In 1940, the science fiction writer Isaac Asimov proposed three laws of robotics which established the context  for a number of stories set in future societies based on the widespread use of robots and robots systems. Eventually, in his later stories, societies became heavily reliant on such systems and, in 1985, Asimov added a fourth law.  Subsequently, just after Asimov's death, in 1993 and 1994, Roger Clarke, of the Department of Computer Science at the Australian National University used Asimov's laws of robotics as the starting point for two articles published in IEEE Computer (vol 26(12) December 1993, pp 53-61 and vol 27(1), January 1994, pp 57-66) discussing some of the practical, legal and ethical matters that may have implications for practising information technologists.

At the time of Asimov's original writings, stories about robots rapidly became one of the popular science fiction genres. However, there was little appreciation of the real difficulties that must be overcome in order to construct systems with the capabilities so easily imagined, or of the real revolution in computing and information technology that was to come.

Read the articles by Clarke (http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/SOS/Asimov.html, copied to my public_html as Roger-Clarke-IEEEComputer-Asimov.html) which give an adequate, self-contained description of Asimov's laws of robotics, both in their original (1940) and amended (1985) forms, then write an essay of approximately  2000-3000 words (equivalent to ~ 6-8 pages, 1.5 spacing, or 4-6 pages single spaced, say) on "Asimov's Laws of Informatics: Fiction or Useful Artefacts?"

Postulate a set of equivalent laws of informatics as described below and then include in your essay discussion of the following:

(ii)    whether there is a need for such laws of "computics" or informatics,

(ii)    the extent to which such laws could act as safeguards against the dangers of the misconstruction, misuse and abuse of computers and software systems,

(iii)    what the implications of such laws would be for practising computer scientists, software engineers and information technologists,

(iv)    whether the laws you have postulated are scientific laws and what their nature (ie whether they are scientific laws or not) implies for the design, characterisation, and application of computer and information systems.

Note:

(a)    Clarke refers to robotics as a branch of engineering. As this ignores aspects of the behaviour of autonomous systems, the study of which is a science, I prefer the following definition (which requires definition of a robot or robot system):

"Robotics is the science and engineering of the design, implementation, behaviour and application of robot systems".

Definitions of "computics" and "informatics" may then be formulated by substituting "comput(er)" and "informat(ion)" respectively for "robot" in the above, although it is debatable wheter a separate definition of 'computics' is necessary.

(b)    Beware of any assumptions on which the laws you formulate are implicitly based and check how such assumptions impinge on the effectiveness of the laws you postulate.

(c)    In part (iv), it may help to try to think of other "scientific" laws which are like the laws of informatics you have postulated. If you can think of any such laws, what are they like? Are they really scientific laws, eg like Newton's laws of motion or Einsteins laws of relativity? If not, what are they?
 
  Note, finally that an "essay" can and should include section headings and subheadings, bullet points, or whatever structured formating you think enables you to get your point of view across clearly and efficiently.

B F Buxton
29/1/02.