The decision by an influential EU Parliamentary Committee to approve what's been described by critics and proponents alike as a robot "bill of rights" back in January has ignited a fierce backlash and prompted a group of dozens of AI researchers to write a scathing letter criticizing the EU's approach to regulating robots.

In the open letter, 156 robotics and AI experts from 14 countries blasted the EU for trying to enforce "nonsensical" and "non-pragmatic" regulations that ultimately could violate people's rights.

Here's more from EuroNews:

In an open letter, more than 150 experts in robotics, artificial intelligence, law, medical science and ethics, warned the Commission against approving a proposal that envisions a special legal status of "electronic persons" for the most sophisticated, autonomous robots.

"Creating a legal status of electronic 'person' would be ideological and nonsensical and non-pragmatic," the letter says.