Lex Fridman Podcast

Ayanna Howard: Human-Robot Interaction and Ethics of Safety-Critical Systems

Jan 17, 2020

Ayanna Howard, a renowned roboticist and professor at Georgia Tech, dives into fascinating topics around human-robot interaction and ethical considerations in AI. She discusses the challenges of bias in algorithms and its societal impacts, along with the ethical responsibilities of developers in safety-critical systems. The dialogue touches on trust in autonomous vehicles, the evolution of robots in space exploration, and even the emotional connections we form with machines. Howard's insights bridge the gap between technology and human values.

01:40:24

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Episode guests

Ayanna Howard

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Episode notes

Intro

2min

Exploring Cultural Icons of Robotics

2min

Navigating Perfection in Robotics

19min

Ethics in Coding: A Developer's Responsibility

7min

Navigating Bias in AI and Society

12min

Tackling Algorithmic Bias: A Call for Systematic Solutions

5min

Optimism in the Face of Global Challenges

1min

Compassion, Division, and the Ethics of Algorithms

3min

The Human-Robot Connection: A Historical Perspective

5min

10.

Trust and Emotion in Human-Robot Interaction

11min

11.

Navigating Trust in Human-Robot Interactions

16min

12.

Ethics and Evolution of Robotics

15min

13.

Exploring Ethics in Human-Robot Interaction

2min

Ayanna Howard is a roboticist and professor at Georgia Tech, director of Human-Automation Systems lab, with research interests in human-robot interaction, assistive robots in the home, therapy gaming apps, and remote robotic exploration of extreme environments.

This conversation is part of the Artificial Intelligence podcast. If you would like to get more information about this podcast go to https://lexfridman.com/ai or connect with @lexfridman on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Medium, or YouTube where you can watch the video versions of these conversations. If you enjoy the podcast, please rate it 5 stars on Apple Podcasts, follow on Spotify, or support it on Patreon.

This episode is presented by Cash App. Download it (App Store, Google Play), use code “LexPodcast”.

Here’s the outline of the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.

00:00 – Introduction
02:09 – Favorite robot
05:05 – Autonomous vehicles
08:43 – Tesla Autopilot
20:03 – Ethical responsibility of safety-critical algorithms
28:11 – Bias in robotics
38:20 – AI in politics and law
40:35 – Solutions to bias in algorithms
47:44 – HAL 9000
49:57 – Memories from working at NASA
51:53 – SpotMini and Bionic Woman
54:27 – Future of robots in space
57:11 – Human-robot interaction
1:02:38 – Trust
1:09:26 – AI in education
1:15:06 – Andrew Yang, automation, and job loss
1:17:17 – Love, AI, and the movie Her
1:25:01 – Why do so many robotics companies fail?
1:32:22 – Fear of robots
1:34:17 – Existential threats of AI
1:35:57 – Matrix
1:37:37 – Hang out for a day with a robot