South Korean public service robot plunges down stairs 'commits suicide'

A service robot working at a council in South Korea was unresponsive after falling down a two-meter-high staircase, marking the country's first case of robot "suicide".

Some officials, scientists and internet users believe this is the 'first robot suicide'. They believe it threw itself down the stairs after becoming bored with paperwork. Witnesses said they saw it spin around the stairs several times before jumping and assumed it was having a mental breakdown.

The "deceased official" was named Robot Supervisor, manufactured by the US-based company Bear Robotics. City hall staff collected the debris and sent it back to the company to analyze the cause of "death".

Unlike ordinary robots, Robot Supervisor is capable of moving between floors, pressing elevator buttons, delivering documents, and promoting city policies to residents. Local media has highlighted the connection between 'robot suicide' and this huge workload. No official cause has been announced.

Robots working for the Gumi City Council. (Photo: AFP).

However, scientists argue that robots need sentience to carry out murderous acts. This is a science fiction theme that has been featured in movies for more than a century. Only recently have technologists and philosophers taken it seriously as a practical issue.

Jonathan Birch, professor of philosophy at LSE and author of The Edge of Sentience: Risk and Precaution in Humans, Other Animals, and AI, believes we will soon see something called artificial intelligence (AI) with 'ambiguous sentience'.

'With the concept of 'ambiguous sentience', some people will believe that their AI companion is a rich, emotional being ,' he told the Independent. ' On the other hand, many people still firmly believe that AI has no emotions.'

Professor Birch has called on technology companies to acknowledge the risks and focus on research, improving people's scientific understanding.

Selected in August 2023, it is one of the first robots in the city to be used for these purposes. Manufactured by Bear Robotics , a California-based service robot startup, the robot works from 9am to 6pm and has its own employee badge. Unlike other robots that can only use one floor, the Gumi City Council robot can press the elevator button and move between floors.

South Korea is one of the most active users of robots globally. It has the highest robot density in the world, with one industrial robot for every 10 employees, according to the International Federation of Robotics. The Gumi City Council said it has no plans to deploy a second public service robot in the near future. But the accident raises questions about the ethics of widespread use of robots, especially in jobs traditionally held by humans. At the same time, many people have expressed concerns about the workload and welfare of robots in the workforce.