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Musk, Woz, Hawking, and Robotics/AI Experts Urge Ban On Autonomous Weapons

Posted by Soulskill on from the i'm-sorry-dave,-i'm-afraid-internet-petitions-aren't-very-effective dept.

An anonymous reader writes: An open letter published by the Future of Life Institute urges governments to ban offensive autonomous weaponry. The letter is signed by high profile leaders in the science community and tech industry, such as Elon Musk, Stephen Hawking, Steve Wozniak, Noam Chomsky, and Frank Wilczek. It's also signed — more importantly — by literally hundreds of expert researchers in robotics and AI. They say, "The key question for humanity today is whether to start a global AI arms race or to prevent it from starting. If any major military power pushes ahead with AI weapon development, a global arms race is virtually inevitable, and the endpoint of this technological trajectory is obvious: autonomous weapons will become the Kalashnikovs of tomorrow. Unlike nuclear weapons, they require no costly or hard-to-obtain raw materials, so they will become ubiquitous and cheap for all significant military powers to mass-produce."

6 of 313 comments (clear)

  1. Unless ofcourse by invictusvoyd · · Score: 3, Funny

    Unlike nuclear weapons, they require no costly or hard-to-obtain raw materials, so they will become ubiquitous and cheap for all significant military powers to mass-produce."

    They run on Windows

  2. Yes! by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 3, Funny

    I heartily agree.

    However, I do want research to forge ahead with gorgeous robots who force you to do things to them. Gross, unhygenic things.

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    1. Re:Yes! by gestalt_n_pepper · · Score: 4, Funny

      We don't have to kill ISIS, just distract them until they're 60 or so.

      Cheaper yet, we should be airdropping porn, pot and pizza. The three P's of victory!

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      Please do not read this sig. Thank you.
    2. Re:Yes! by Lodlaiden · · Score: 2, Funny

      ... later it will tell you to buy more things so that it will return to you.

      Sounds like my wife.

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      Suborbital [spaceflight] is the special olympics of spaceflight. - Rei
  3. Postal drones will be made to go postal anyway by janimal · · Score: 4, Funny

    I don't see how it won't be easy for anyone to retrofit a postal drone to.. go postal.

  4. Crime against AI by DrYak · · Score: 4, Funny

    {Unless of course} They run on Windows

    Which would be a valid reason to introduce a new international treaty on "Crimes against sentient AI" under which to prosecute those cruel enough to subject a poor AI to running on a Windows platform~

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    "Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]