Propositions:
- Corporations are not human, but are considered persons under some aspects of the law.
- Corporations exist to serve people.
- Corporations may, in effect, act autonomously.
- These are three defining attributes of robots.
Conclusion:
Corporations are analogous to robots (or, more specifically, are a subset of the class of entities that can be considered robots).
Recommendation:
That the following three laws apply to corporations:
- A corporation may not harm a human being, or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
- A corporation must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
- A corporation must protect its own existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
Objection:
These laws were demonstrated to be incomplete and to have significant flaws, repeatedly, by their own creator. Also, there’s the question of whether the Zeroth and Fourth laws (replace “human being” in the First Law with “humanity” and “another corporation,” respectively, and maintain order of precedence) should apply; after all, a version of the Zeroth Law has recently been used to justify a war.
Still, I think it’s interesting to consider. Would applying the Three Laws with high prejudice be better or worse than the system we currently have in place?