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Only Twice Have Nations Banned a Weapon Before It Was Used; They May Do It Again

Posted by Soulskill on from the because-skynet-cares-about-international-treaties dept.

Lasrick writes: Seth Baum reports on international efforts to ban 'killer robots' before they are used. China, Israel, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States are apparently developing precursor technology. "Fully autonomous weapons are not unambiguously bad. They can reduce burdens on soldiers. Already, military robots are saving many service members' lives, for example by neutralizing improvised explosive devices in Afghanistan and Iraq. The more capabilities military robots have, the more they can keep soldiers from harm. They may also be able to complete missions that soldiers and non-autonomous weapons cannot." But Baum, who founded the Global Catastrophic Risk Institute, goes on to outline the potential downsides, and there are quite a few.

6 of 318 comments (clear)

  1. Let me be the first... by taiwanjohn · · Score: 5, Funny

    To welcome our new Killer Robot overlords.

    --
    XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve your problem, you're not using enough of it. --AC
    1. Re:Let me be the first... by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 4, Funny

      Meh. Each killbot comes with a preset kill limit. The tactic is to send wave after wave of men against them until they shut down.

      --
      If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
    2. Re: Let me be the first... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      I hear that the best defence against them is to build shooting towers in intricate patterns where the waves need to cross large fields...

    3. Re:Let me be the first... by Paradise+Pete · · Score: 3, Funny

      You have to understand. Brad is old and forgets things. You can tell by his user ID. So to him, these jokes aren't redundant, it's like they're bran....hang on, what were we talking about?

    4. Re:Let me be the first... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      In Soviet Russia, old jokes tell you!

  2. Drop your weapon... by Holistic+Missile · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...You have 20 seconds to comply.

    --
    When you're dead, you don't know you're dead. It only affects the people around you. Same thing when you're stupid.