The chapter examines a classic subject of HRI, social robotics, and the law, such as the design, manufacture, and use of humanoid AI robots for healthcare. The aim is to illustrate a new set of legal challenges that are unique to these systems when displayed in outer space. Such challenges may require the adoption of new legal standards, in particular, either sui generis standards of space law, or stricter or more flexible standards for HRI in space missions, down to a new “principle of equality” between human standards and robotic standards in outer space. The chapter complements current discussions and initiatives on the development of standards for the use of humanoid AI robots in health law, consumer law, and cybersecurity by considering the realignment of terrestrial standards that we may thus expect with the increasing use of humanoid AI systems in space journeys. The assumption is that breathtaking advancements of AI and robotics, current trends on the privatization of the space, and the evolution of current regulatory frameworks, also but not only in space law, will put the development of these new legal standards in the spotlight.

This chapter introduces issues of law, policy, and regulations for human interaction with robots that are AI enabled, expressive, humanoid in appearance, and that are anthropomorphized by users. These features are leading to a class of robots that are beginning to pose unique challenges to courts, legislators, and the robotics industry as they consider how the behavior of robots operating with sophisticated social skills and increasing levels of intelligence should be regulated. In this chapter we introduce basic terms, definitions, and concepts which relate to human interaction with AI-enabled and social robots and we review some of the regulations, statutes, and case law which apply to such robots and we do so specifically in the context of human–robot interaction. Our goal in this chapter is to provide a conceptual framework for the chapters which follow focusing on human interaction with robots that are becoming more like us in form and behavior.

In this concluding chapter, we discuss future directions in law, policy, and regulations for robots that are expressive, humanoid in appearance, becoming smarter, and that are anthropomorphized by users. Given the wide range of skills shown by this emerging class of robots, legal scholars, legislators, and roboticists are beginning to discuss how law, policy, and regulations should be applied to robots that are becoming more like us in form and behavior. For such robots, we propose that human–robot interaction should be the focus of efforts to regulate increasingly smart, expressive, humanoid, and social robots. Therefore, in the context of human–robot interaction, this chapter summarizes our views on future directions of law and policy for robots that are becoming highly social and intelligent, displaying the ability to detect and express emotions, and controversially, in the view of some commentators, beginning to display a rudimentary level of self-awareness.

There is a convergence on the protection of the traditional right to privacy and today’s right to data protection as evidenced by judicial rulings. However, there are still distinct differences among the jurisdictions based on how personal data is conceived (as a personality or proprietary right) and on the aims of the regulation. These have implications for how the use of AI will impact the laws of US and EU. Nevertheless, there are some regulatory convergences between US and EU law in terms of the realignment of traditional rights through data-driven technologies, the convergence between data protection safeguards and consumer law, and the dynamics of legal transplantation and reception in data protection and consumer law.