Name
ROUNDTABLE: From Dialogue to Design: Co-Creating a Toolkit for Ethical Robotics Integration in the Workforce
Date & Time
Thursday, October 9, 2025
Description

This roundtable builds directly on our work at the 2024 CRC Symposium, exploring responsible integration of robotics in the workplace, which emphasized the critical need for early worker engagement and cross-sector collaboration in robotics adoption. In this follow-up, we invite participants to help refine a draft toolkit for ethically integrating robotics into the workplace, specifically by centring the role, agency, and well-being of the workforce.

 

The toolkit is based on Foresight into AI Ethics (FAIE), a structured methodology developed by the Open Roboethics Institute to guide ethical decision-making in AI development. Originally designed for non-embodied AI systems, the toolkit is now being adapted to address the distinct challenges posed by robotics, particularly their embeddedness in physical environments and direct impact on human labour. This session is for anyone invested in the responsible adoption of robotics in the workplace, including workers, labor representatives, HR professionals, robotics developers and integrators, business leaders, policymakers, ethicists, and researchers.

  • Toolkit Overview (10-15 minutes)
    • We will introduce the FAIE toolkit and explain our motivation for adapting it to robotics, emphasizing the unique ethical considerations of embodied AI.
  • Interactive Co-Creation (60 minutes)
    • Participants will critique and expand on the existing toolkit through discussions of real or imagined workplace scenarios involving robotics integration. We'll explore practical applications and identify areas for improvement. Key questions will include:
  • Why do workers need to be involved in the design, integration, and adoption of robotics?
  • What forms of worker engagement are appropriate at different stages of robotics adoption, and how should they be structured?
  • What safeguards can ensure robotics enhances, rather than undermines, job quality, safety, and career progression?
  • Synthesis & Next Steps (15 minutes)
    • We will collaboratively synthesize ideas, surface key case examples, and identify interest in continuing this work through a dedicated working group or as an open resource.

Session outcomes will include:

  • Refined Draft Toolkit: Direct participant feedback will lead to a more robust, practical, and worker-centric version of the FAIE toolkit for robotics integration.
  • Documented Workplace Scenarios & Solutions: We will capture specific real or hypothetical workplace scenarios, along with co-created solutions and ethical considerations relevant to robotics adoption.

Foundation for Future Collaboration: The session will identify individuals and groups interested in continuing this important work, fostering ongoing development and dissemination of ethical robotics integration practices.