Open Roboethics Institute
What is ORI
Open Roboethics Institute (ORI) is a Canadian nonprofit that gathers communities of interdisciplinary thinkers and doers to engage with pressing social and ethical implications of robotics and AI technologies. Our goal is to collaborate with partner organizations and build learning communities based on principles of openness, inclusivity, and participation. Then, we develop tools and resources to help members examine robotics and AI systems, understand their implications, and anticipate their various harms and mitigation strategies for their communities. Towards this goal, ORI is a community builder and resource creator.
What Do We Do
Community Building
We create accessible and open spaces with two primary goals which include 1) providing hands-on training, workshops, and lectures on AI and robot ethics that are accessible to diverse audiences, 2) creating spaces for community members to connect with others in an effort to investigate the ethics of robotics and AI.
Resources
We deliver research and community-informed resources to investigate ethical dimensions of AI and robotics. The entirety of our research and resources are shared openly and for free. ORI has created the Foresight into AI Ethics (FAIE) and Learning Hub toolkits.
AI Ethics Toolkit
Our toolkit provides a systematic method to uncover key ethical issues specific to your data-driven AI project so as to better anticipate and mitigate the risks.
Learning hub guide
The ORI learning hub guide provides you to starter kit including a reading list and tips to start a hub at your community to discuss ethical issues about robots and AI.
Blog
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Reflecting on Worker Impact at the CRC Robotics Symposium
In 2024 and 2025, the Open Roboethics Institute convened two roundtables at the
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What can a smart home (and robot) do for you?
More people are now wearing smart watches, carrying smart phones, and now living
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How much interaction with a robot is socially acceptable?
We have a tall order when it comes to dreaming up a trustworthy
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Results: Should a carebot bring an alcoholic a drink? Poll says, it depends on who owns the robot
In a care scenario, a robot may have been purchased by the patient,
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The Emerging Policy and Ethics of Human Robot Interaction
What ethical, societal, and legal implications should designers keep in mind when developing