East of England Labour MEP Alex Mayer made her maiden speech in the European Parliament on Thursday during a debate on the futuristic subject of robots.
Ms Mayer told how she had recently met a robot on a visit to Cranfield University along with cyber experts.
She said, “During my visit we discussed rapid changes in the workplace with more automation, safety issues as people work more closely with robots and the ethics of self-learning robots.
“I’ve seen at first hand the speed this sector is moving and as technology moves quickly, it is important that legislation keeps up.”
After the vote which passed through the parliament by 396 votes to 123 with 85 absentions, Ms Mayer said: “We only get to speak for one minute at a time in the European Parliament so perhaps it was more of a maiden remark!
“This is a topic that matters to me because I believe politicians need to focus on making the future better and this is an issue where science fiction is rapidly becoming science fact. Of course I also wanted to be sure to highlight an example of great work happening in our area.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here