The draft report, approved by 17 votes to two and two abstentions by the European Parliament Committee on Legal Affairs, proposes that "The most sophisticated autonomous robots could be established as having the status of electronic persons with specific rights and obligations, including that of making good any damage they may cause."

Authored by Luxembourg MEP Mady Delvaux, the report proposes definitions and outlines rules to govern how robots interact with humans "now that humankind stands on the threshold of an era" that it claims will see artificial intelligence (AI) "unleash a new industrial revolution."

AI developers will have to ensure their creations follow a set of rules that prohibit them from harming a human or allowing a human to come to harm through their inaction. AI can protect their own existence under the rules, if this does not harm any humans.

"A robot may not harm humanity, or, by inaction, allow humanity to come to harm," the rules state.

An opt-out mechanism or kill switch is also proposed in the report, ensuring any rogue robots can be turned off easily (provided the designer hasn't let their AI outsmart them).