Even Darling, who believes that the way we treat robots mirrors our ideas about empathy and kindness, agrees the ethics aren’t always clear. “Even though it’s clearly wrong to punch a person, you get into ethical questions very quickly where it’s not always so clear what the answer is,” she says. “Is it OK to punch a person who’s trying to punch you? Is it OK to punch a Nazi?”

Prenez deux robots identiques, mettez des cheveux long à l'un d'eux, les gens le déclareront plus adapté au ménage, à la cuisine et à la garde des enfants.