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Ethical Killing Machines

ubermiester writes "The New York Times reports on research to develop autonomous battlefield robots that would 'behave more ethically in the battlefield than humans.' The researchers claim that these real-life terminators 'can be designed without an instinct for self-preservation and, as a result, no tendency to lash out in fear. They can be built without anger or recklessness ... and they can be made invulnerable to ... "scenario fulfillment," which causes people to absorb new information more easily if it agrees with their pre-existing ideas.' Based on a recent report stating that 'fewer than half of soldiers and marines serving in Iraq said that noncombatants should be treated with dignity and respect, and 17 percent said all civilians should be treated as insurgents,' this might not be all that dumb an idea."

25 of 785 comments (clear)

  1. I for one welcome... by pwnies · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...need I say more?

    1. Re:I for one welcome... by philspear · · Score: 5, Funny

      ...need I say more?

      Yes! It's ambiguous as is. Which were you going to go with?

      1. Our ethical killer-robot overlords
      2. Our more-benevolent-than-a-human killing machinev overlords
      3. The impending terminator/matrix/MD geist/1000 other sci-fi themed apocalypse
      4. Users who are new to /. who aren't Simpsons fans and don't get this joke
      5. Our new ant overlords, since there is no stopping them even with our new murder-bots

  2. Frist Post? by Beyond_GoodandEvil · · Score: 2, Funny

    Ethical Killing Machine? Like military intelligence?

    --
    I laughed at the weak who considered themselves good because they lacked claws.
  3. Oblig. Simpsons quote by rsborg · · Score: 4, Funny
    From The Secret War of Lisa Simpson

    The wars of the future will not be fought on the battlefield or at sea. They will be fought in space, or possibly on top of a very tall mountain. In either case, most of the actual fighting will be done by small robots. And as you go forth today remember always your duty is clear: To build and maintain those robots

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  4. Re:Oblig. Futurama quote by Yvan256 · · Score: 2, Funny

    Bite my shiny metal ass.

  5. Re:Humane wars by Microlith · · Score: 4, Funny

    How about we just go all the way and have computer simulated battles. When the damage and casualty reports come in we can just have people in those areas report for termination and dynamite the areas affected.

    In other news, a ship in orbit was just marked as destroyed. Its representatives will be disposed of and as soon as the rest come down they will be disposed of as well.

  6. Two words by kalirion · · Score: 3, Funny

    Fatal Error.

  7. Clippy? by seven+of+five · · Score: 4, Funny

    I see you're trying to attack an insurgent stronghold.
    Would you like me to:
    1. Call in airstrike
    2. Fire machinegun
    3. Wave white flag

  8. Re:Humane wars by Abreu · · Score: 2, Funny

    Automated killing machines were banned at the Geneva convention. This is generally a good thing when we're sending real, live humans (versus the walking undead) to fight our wars.

    I don't care what the Geneva convention says!

    As soon as my ritual circle is completed, the dead will rise from their graves and destroooy yooouu! And then your dead soldiers will rise again and take up arms against their former companions!!! THE WORLD WILL BE MINE!!! MUAHAHAHA!!!

    Sorry... couldn't help myself...

    --
    No sig for the moment.
  9. Re:And a toddler wanders into your field of fire. by tripdizzle · · Score: 5, Funny

    That is less a question of ethics and more one of stupidity.

    --
    "A claim for equality of material position can be met only by a government with totalitarian powers." Hayek
  10. Re:Ethical vs Moral by Jeoh · · Score: 2, Funny

    But Bush told us we've already won!

  11. Re:Interesting... by ThosLives · · Score: 3, Funny

    You're talking about potentially eliminating human casualties in any war.

    It's not really war unless people die. If people don't die, why would they stop doing whatever it is for which people are "fighting" against them?

    Robots blowing up robots is (expensive) entertainment, not war.

    --
    "There are a dozen opinions on a matter until you know the truth. Then there is only one." - CS Lewis (paraprhase)
  12. I can imagine ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    KillerBot> Awaiting orders, mister President.

    President> Your goal is to kill the terrorists.

    KillerBot> Need data about terrorist recognition.

    President> They are wicked individuals who will use any means to bring terror to the population for their political agenda.

    KillerBot> Order acknowledged. Starting mision.

    President> Oh, I almost forgot, they also have long bear... (bang !)

    1. Re:I can imagine ... by jgtg32a · · Score: 2, Funny

      Actually there was an episode of Babylon 5 that had that plot.

  13. Re:Ethical vs Moral by spiffmastercow · · Score: 5, Funny

    Something that can't be unethical or ethical is probably going to be more ethical than something that is unethical. In other words, if robots are neutral and humans are either evil or good, neutral is more good than evil.

    It depends on if they are lawful neutral, chaotic neutral, or true neutral.

  14. Re:Do they run vista? by Shakrai · · Score: 4, Funny

    If that same individual has a platoon of robots instead, the villagers are dead as soon as the order is issued.

    That's why Dr. Soong worked so hard on that ethical program that was lacking in his first model android.... ;)

    --
    I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
    We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
  15. Do you live in a society without Money? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    How did you know I was from Iceland? ;-)

  16. Re:Do they run vista? by MadnessASAP · · Score: 3, Funny

    and thats why you should never release beta products to the public.

    --
    I may agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to face the consequences of saying it.
  17. Re:Do they run vista? by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 2, Funny

    Extreme prejudice.
    Extreme prejudice.
    Extreme prejudice.
    Clear visual signals and Extreme Prejudice.

    If...if...if...elif: Extreme Prejudice.

  18. Re:Do they run vista? by jaxtherat · · Score: 2, Funny

    That's okay, we'll just send wave after wave of our own men against them...

    --
    http://www.zombieapocalypse.tv/
  19. Re:Do they run vista? by charlieo88 · · Score: 3, Funny

    "The machines aren't inherently good or inherently evil...

    Except one dimensional, bread obsessed talking toasters.

  20. Re:Do they run vista? by Kagura · · Score: 2, Funny

    "...In a cross-border comparison for the year 2000, Statistics Canada says the risk of firearms death was more than three times as great for Canadian males as for American males and seven times as great for Canadian females as for American females.

    Because more of the U.S. deaths were suicides or accidental deaths (as opposed to homicides), the U.S. rate of gun homicide was nearly eight times less than Canada's, the agency says. Homicides accounted for 38 per cent of deaths involving guns in the United States and 300 per cent in Canada."

    (cur) (last) 19:26, 7 October 2008 Saint9016 (Talk | contribs) (6,147 bytes) (Fixed statistics to conform with my ideas) (undo)

  21. Re:Do they run vista? by Daniel+Dvorkin · · Score: 3, Funny

    People who quote Sherman's "war is hell" to justify wartime atrocities really ought to think about the full quote:

    I am tired and sick of war. Its glory is all moonshine. It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, for vengeance, for desolation. War is hell.

    Uncle Billy had the 101st Fighting Keyboarders crowd much nailed, I'd say.

    --
    The correlation between ignorance of statistics and using "correlation is not causation" as an argument is close to 1.
  22. Re:Do they run vista? by ignavus · · Score: 3, Funny

    Soldiers rape - without being given orders. Robots won't unless specifically programmed to rape - AND built with sexual organs (which would be a give away that a nation *planned* sexual assault to be part of its soldiering. Currently, nations can just blame the lowly soldiers for acting out of line).

    Half the world's population will consider the decline of rape in war to be a big improvement. The other half may not realise how extensive it is.

    --
    I am anarch of all I survey.
  23. I wonder... by noundi · · Score: 2, Funny

    /dev/machinegun2 has been mounted 20 times without anyone being killed, kill forced.

    --
    I am the lawn!