This paper provides an overview, rationale, design, and prototype implementation of a responsibility advisor for use in autonomous systems capable of lethal target engagement. The ramifications surrounding the potential use of operator overrides is also presented. The results of this research have been integrated into the MissionLab mission specification and demonstrated on a relevant military scenario. 1.

Abstract—This paper presents the motivation, basis and a prototype implementation of an ethical adaptor capable of using a moral affective function, guilt, as a basis for altering a robot’s ongoing behavior. While the research is illustrated in the context of the battlefield, the methods described are believed generalizable to other domains such as eldercare and are potentially extensible to a broader class of moral emotions, including compassion and empathy. I I.