Philosophy Now Forum

James H. Moor defines different ways in which machines could be moral.

https://philosophynow.org/issues/72/Four_Kinds_of_Ethical_Robots

Ethics and morals are intellectually known to a human and there is a connection between the person and how he sees himself. To a robot ethics and morals are definitional only (it doesn't have true intelligence). Also, the robot doesn't have a sense of self to protect.