We can ’t ban killer robots – it’s already too late | Philip Ball

Telling international arms traders they can ’t make killer robots is like telling soft-drinks makers that they can’t make orangeadeOne response to the call byexperts in robotics and artificial intelligence for an ban on “killer robots” ( “lethal autonomous weapons systems” or Laws in the language of international treaties) is to say: shouldn’t you have thought about that sooner?Figures such as Tesla ’s CEO, Elon Musk, are among the 116 specialists calling for the ban. “We do not have long to act,” they say. “Once this Pandora’s box is opened, it will be hard to close.” But such systems are arguably already here, such as the “unmanned combat air vehicle”Taranis developed by BAE and others, or the autonomousSGR-A1 sentry gun made by Samsung and deployed along the South Korean border. Autonomous tanks are in the works, while human control of lethal drones is becoming just a matter of degree.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Robots Technology Artificial intelligence (AI) Computing Consciousness Elon Musk Weapons technology Science United Nations RoboCop World news Source Type: news