Some of the world's leading robotics and artificial intelligence experts are calling on the European Union to rethink plans to grant robots legal status because it could breach humans rights law.

A group of 140 academics spanning 40 countries, including Nathalie Nevejans of Artois University in France, an expert in ethics in robotics at the European Parliament, along with Noel Sharkey, Emeritus Professor of the AI and robotics at the University of Sheffield, signed a letter to the European Commission that warned granting robots similar rights to humans was “inappropriate” and “non-sensical” from an ethical and legal perspective.

The European Parliament is considering offering robots “electronic personalities” so they can be held accountable for damage they may cause, allowing them the same access to insurance as a human.

It hopes this will solve a troubling grey area surrounding a robot’s liability, particularly in regards to self-driving cars that might become involved in crashes or automated machinery in the workplace. Robot insurance would ensure that victims are not left out of pocket, a 2017 European Parliament report suggested.

However, the coalition of AI experts believe granting legal status would contradict human rights laws because the robot would have the right to dignity, integrity, remuneration and citizenship.