Trial of Killer Robot

News: Robot kills a worker in Volkswagen Factory

            

(Trial Room of a Court in Germany, where Judiciary is inquisitorial)

Judge: Mr. Robot, do you plead, guilty

Robot: No, Your Honor, I am innocent

Judge: (addresses to Public Prosecutor): Prosecution may proceed.

PP: Mr. Robot we have substantial evidence against you that you have committed a murder deliberately.

Robot: What is that proof?

PP: CCTV footage.

Robot: But that's a machine like me. That would be self-incrimination.

Judge: He is right. Mr. PP

PP: But your honor, that machine may have same genre like all Homo Sapiens , but they have different Mother (boards).

Judge: Alright, shows us the film.

A screen and projector are set up in court and a video clip is shown in which Robot claps a man from the neck and strangles him to death and then throws him on a board.

PP: Is that not you, Mr. Robot?

Robot: Looks like me, but I am not sure. Can you focus on id numbers.

The video clip is replayed and id is stilled and focused. Robot acknowledges that it is him.

PP: Why did you kill him?

Robot: He walked into my territory. I had no intention or motivation to kill him. Moreover, as per Master-Servant theory the Engineer who programmed me is responsible for this killing.

Judge: Did he programmed you to kill?

Robot: I was infected by virus so I could not differentiate in living and non living.

Judge: Who is responsible for the virus?

Robot: My parents. That is the company that produced me.

The GM of Robotics Company was summoned to the court. He stated that when he supplied the Robot it was in perfect working condition.  The Virus can affect man and machine equally. Robot has indicator for virus and should have been treated immediately.

 The System Engineer of the car company was summoned and he admitted that Robot was indicating a virus.

PP: Why you did not cure the machine immediately?

System Engg.: The assembly line had to be stopped for that. I reported the matter to GM through the channel, but he said orders are urgent and production cannot be stopped.

Judge: Did you explain that it may cause a death?

System Engg.: Not categorically, since I was not sure. I told him certain sensors are not working and Robot would not function normally.

GM of the car company was summoned. He confessed that matter was reported to him. He was hard pressed by the Board of Directors to achieve the target so he did not stop production.

The trial is going on. The Robot is still behind the bar. Board of Directors has announced a meeting to decide strategy if they are booked for Culpable Homicide.

Meanwhile, please express your opinion on the issue.

© Vipin Behari Goyal
Advocate, Rajasthan High Court, Jodhpur, India