The Robot Rights Dilemma in Ian McEwan’s Machines Like Me

Year 2025, Issue: 69, 70 - 85, 01.10.2025

Özge Özgün , Mehmet Fikret Arargüç

https://doi.org/10.53568/yyusbed.1663079

Abstract

The concept of ‘robot rights’ has become a current topic of discussion due to the increasingly complex functions of artificial intelligence and robots, as well as the human-robot interactions. As robots acquire human-like capabilities, the question of whether they can or should have rights is frequently raised by researchers from different disciplines. Literature, while providing a fictional framework for exploring the issue of robot rights also serves as an interdisciplinary tool that shapes these debates in line with societal expectations and attitudes. This study aims to offer a fresh perspective on the debate on robot rights by using the possibilities offered by literature to examine a concrete example and analyze human-robot interaction within the framework of these rights. In this context, Ian McEwan’s novel Machines Like Me, which explores the complex relationships between humans and androids with artificial intelligence, is analyzed through the four basic frameworks presented in David J. Gunkel’s Robot Rights (Robots cannot/should not have rights, robots can/should have rights, although robots can/should not have rights, even if robots cannot/should have rights). By addressing the moral dilemmas arising from human-robot relations, the study shows that the debate over robot rights is not just a theoretical issue but could have practical consequences that could shape the future of humanity. It also shows that the integration of robots into society could lead to significant social and moral changes and that literature has an important role to play in understanding these changes. In this way, a literary perspective is added to the debate on the rights of robots.

Keywords

Machines Like Me , David J. Gunkel , Ian McEwan , robot rights , artificial intelligence

Ian McEwan’ın Benim Gibi Makineler Romanında Robot Hakları İkilemi

Abstract

‘Robot hakları’ kavramı, yapay zekâ ve robotların karmaşık hale gelen işlevleri ve insan-robot etkileşimleri nedeniyle güncel bir tartışma konusu haline gelmiştir. Robotların insanlara benzeyen yetenekler kazanmasıyla birlikte, hakları olup olamayacağı sorusu farklı disiplinlerden araştırmacılar tarafından sıkça gündeme getirilmektedir. Edebiyat da robot hakları konusunu kurgusal bir zemin üzerinden sorgulamaya olanak tanırken, toplumsal beklentiler ve tutumlar ışığında bu tartışmaları şekillendiren disiplinlerarası bir araç işlevi görmektedir. Bu çalışma, edebiyatın sunduğu olanaklarla, somut bir örnek üzerinden robot hakları tartışmalarına yeni bir bakış açısı kazandırmayı ve insan-robot etkileşimini bu haklar çerçevesinde incelemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Bu bağlamda, Ian McEwan’ın yapay zekâya sahip androidlerle insanlar arasındaki karmaşık ilişkileri ele alan Benim Gibi Makineler (Machines Like Me) adlı romanı, David J. Gunkel’ın Robot Hakları kitabındaki dört temel başlık (Robotların hakları olamaz/olmamalıdır, olsa da/olmamalıdır, olabilir/olmalıdır, olamasa da/olmalıdır) çerçevesinde incelenmiştir. Böylelikle, insanların robotlarla olan ilişkilerinin doğurduğu ahlaki ikilemleri ele alarak, robot hakları tartışmasının yalnızca teorik bir mesele olmadığını ve insanlığın geleceğini şekillendirecek pratik sonuçlar doğurabileceğini göstermektedir. Ayrıca, robotların topluma entegrasyonunun sosyal ve ahlaki bağlamda önemli dönüşümler yaratabileceğini ve edebiyatın bu dönüşümün anlaşılmasında önemli bir rol oynadığını ortaya koymaktadır. Böylece, robot haklarına ilişkin tartışmalara edebi bir bakış açısı eklenmiştir.

Keywords

Benim Gibi Makineler , David J. Gunkel , Ian McEwan , robot hakları , yapay zeka

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