Ajung Moon facts for kids

Ajung Moon is a scientist from Korea and Canada who studies robots. She is an expert in making sure robots are designed in a fair and safe way. She teaches about electrical and computer engineering at McGill University. She also leads a special lab there called RAISE, which focuses on making smart robots responsible. Her main interests are how humans and robots work together, and making sure robots follow good rules.

Before working at McGill, she advised the United Nations on digital topics. She also started a company called Generation R Consulting, which helped others with AI ethics. She founded a group called the Open Roboethics Institute. Today, she is part of the Government of Canada's team that advises on Artificial Intelligence.

Learning and Career

Ajung Moon grew up in Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea. She earned her Ph.D. (a high-level degree) in Mechanical Engineering in 2014. She studied at the University of British Columbia in Canada. Her research focused on how humans and robots interact. She also looked at the rules robots should follow.

Robots and Human Decisions

Moon believes that humans and robots will need to work together. She thinks there might be disagreements between them. Humans usually talk things out to find solutions. However, robots do not understand feelings or right from wrong. This makes it hard for them to "negotiate" or make fair decisions.

In 2012, she wrote her master's thesis about what robots should do. It explored how robots could show hesitation like humans. This would help when humans and robots need to share resources. Her Ph.D. research looked at how humans and robots can solve problems together.

Today, Ajung Moon is an assistant professor at McGill University. She works in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Team Projects

Ajung Moon has worked on several important projects. These projects often involve how robots should be used safely and ethically.

• She helped with a project about the technology of autonomous weapons in 2017. This was for an international group that regulates these weapons.
• She also worked on how computers are used with autonomous weapons in 2017. This was also for the same international group.
• In 2015, she was a lead researcher for a project on the ethics of lethal autonomous weapons systems. This was done by the Open Roboethics Institute.
• She co-authored a paper in 2017 about how robots can use gestures. This helps robots give instructions to humans in factories.

In the News

Ajung Moon's work has been featured in various media outlets.

• "The Cobot Experience: AJung Moon & Resolving Human-Cobot Resource Conflicts," by Emmet Cole, Robotiq Blog.
• "Robots Can Be A Force for Good," CBC News, May 21, 2018.
• "Should We Fear the Robots?" Georgia Straight, May 9, 2018.
• "Best Practices in Designing Effective Road Maps for Robotic Innovation," Robohub, Jan. 22, 2018.
• "A newcomer’s guide to #ICRA2022: A primer," April 27, 2022.
• "A newcomer’s guide to #ICRA2022: Tutorials," May 2, 2022.