On a bright fall day last year off the coast of Southern California, an Air Force B-1 bomber launched an experimental missile that may herald the future of warfare.
Initially, pilots aboard the plane directed the missile, but halfway to its destination, it severed communication with its operators. Alone, without human oversight, the missile decided which of three ships to attack, dropping to just above the sea surface and striking a 260-foot unmanned freighter.
Warfare is increasingly guided by software. Today, armed drones can be operated by remote pilots peering into video screens thousands of miles from the battlefield. But now, some scientists say, arms makers have crossed into troubling territory: They are developing weapons that rely on artificial intelligence, not human instruction, to decide what to target and whom to kill.
As these weapons become smarter and nimbler, critics fear they will become increasingly difficult for humans to control — or to defend against. And while pinpoint accuracy could save civilian lives, critics fear weapons without human oversight could make war more likely, as easy as flipping a switch.
Armaments with even more advanced self-governance are on the drawing board, although the details usually are kept secret. “An autonomous weapons arms race is already taking place,” said Steve Omohundro, a physicist and artificial intelligence specialist at Self-Aware Systems, a research center in Palo Alto, Calif. “They can respond faster, more efficiently and less predictably.”
Concerned by the prospect of a robotics arms race, representatives from dozens of nations will meet on Thursday in Geneva to consider whether development of these weapons should be restricted by the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.
The Latest on: Autonomous weapons
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The Latest on: Autonomous weapons
- Assessing the Overlooked Threats: The Future of U.S. Military Strategy in an Era of Advanced Weaponson May 10, 2024 at 1:15 am
Experts highlight five critical areas that the U.S. military needs to reassess to avoid strategic blindsides: de-dollarization efforts by rivals, cyberattacks, hypersonic weapons development by Russia ...
- US Marine Forces test autonomous rifle-fitted robot dogs, reports sayon May 8, 2024 at 6:36 am
US Marine Forces explores rifle-equipped "robot dogs" to minimize human casualties in ground offensives, advancing military operations.
- Autonomous car company Glydways to bring driverless public transit to East Contra Costaon May 7, 2024 at 6:52 pm
Public transit has struggled to recover its pre-pandemic ridership, but an autonomous car company has a driverless transportation system that could make East Contra Costa County a leader in modern ...
- Submission to the United Nations Secretary-General on Autonomous Weapons Systemson May 6, 2024 at 2:50 pm
Human Rights Watch appreciates the opportunity to submit its views and recommendations for consideration by the United Nations secretary-general in response to Resolution 78/241 on “Lethal autonomous ...
- Statement by ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric to the 'Vienna Conference on Autonomous Weapon Systems 2024: Humanity at the Crossroads'on May 3, 2024 at 1:39 am
We cannot ignore the allegations of use of autonomous weapons in current conflicts. These reports are difficult to verify definitively, but they do indicate disturbing trends towards increasingly ...
- Are autonomous weapons a source of dehumanization?on May 1, 2024 at 4:48 am
A two-day conference on the topic of autonomous weapons systems was hosted by the Austrian government, where military technology experts and delegates from 143 countries gathered to discuss the impact ...
- Perils of autonomous weaponson May 1, 2024 at 1:10 am
Proponents of autonomous weapons argue they could offer benefits. They might limit human casualties in some conflicts. Moreover, the cost-effectiveness of autonomous weapons in warfare could save ...
- Autonomous weapons reduce moral agency and devalue human lifeon April 30, 2024 at 8:40 pm
Military technology experts gathered in Vienna have warned about the detrimental psychological effects of AI-powered weapons, arguing that implementing systems of algorithmic-enabled killing dehumanis ...
- Global majority united on multilateral regulation of AI weaponson April 30, 2024 at 12:30 am
Foreign ministers and civil society representatives say that multilateralism is key to controlling the proliferation and use of AI-powered autonomous weapons, but that a small number of powerful count ...
- More speed required in regulating autonomous weapons systemson April 29, 2024 at 5:00 pm
The debate about autonomous weapons is gaining momentum as artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly sophisticated. At the same time, calls for a binding treaty banning certain autonomous ...
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