Gasgoo Munich-UBTECH has officially released the "White Paper on Ethical Governance of Humanoid Robot Technology." The document proposes a full-process governance framework covering ethical risk identification, assessment, control, testing, and review. It provides a roadmap for ethical governance as humanoid robots scale up in industrial, commercial, and home companion applications.
Image source: UBTECH
UBTECH introduced three specific ethical protection goals for humanoid robots for the first time: controllable action, meaning robot movements remain within the range of effective human intervention; appropriate anthropomorphism, ensuring human-like qualities match functional needs to avoid substantial misidentification; and measured interaction, ensuring long-term engagement does not erode human autonomy or real-world relationships. The white paper also establishes a "seven-step risk management framework," converting abstract ethical principles into executable requirements.
Furthermore, the white paper categorizes the ethical impact of humanoid robots into eight domains, including physical action safety, cognitive autonomy, and emotional relationships. It proposes eight risk control strategies—such as elimination, restriction, and separation—emphasizing a dual-track approach of engineering technical requirements and organizational governance to ensure risks are managed at the source.
The white paper notes that humanoid robots continue to evolve after delivery, requiring ethical review throughout their entire lifecycle. Its proposed dynamic governance covers nine stages—from project definition, design, and development to pre-market review, deployment, operation, product iteration, and decommissioning—setting core tasks and delivery baselines for each phase.
