Thursday 22nd February – Dr Richard M Crowder: Robotics and Ethics: Robots + AI = Disruption

Winchester Discovery Centre, Jewry St. 7.00 for 7.30pm

Hardly a day goes by without the publication of a story in the press informing us that by 2030 over 30% of UK jobs could be replaced by robotic systems. Historically the introduction of technology has enhanced the experience of the workforce. The introduction of advanced robotics however is associated with the workforce polarization into either high-skilled, highly-paid or low-skilled, poorly-paid employment with the loss of mid-skilled jobs. The presentation will go behind the hype and look at the current state of robotic systems, and how its integration with artificial intelligence has led to this situation.

In the presentation Dr Crowder will discuss the social, ethical and technical challenges of current work in robotics, illustrated by systems that he has developed.

Richard’s Bio

Richard Crowder was born in Macclesfield Cheshire and received his BSc and PhD in Engineering from the University of Leicester. He joined the academic staff of the University of Southampton in 1982, and following retirement in 2017, he is currently a visiting fellow. During his time at Southampton he was in the Department of Electronics and Computer Science, undertaking research into robotics and the sociotechnical aspects of engineering design. He is the author of over 140 academic papers and two books in these field.