- 25 Nov 2012 19:26
#14114763
Here's an article I found today that discusses robot soldiers, or "killer robots." http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/11/19/ban-killer-robots-it-s-too-late
The article only discusses such machines in their potential war-fighting capacity, with the danger they pose for increased civilian casualties and reduced accountability. But there's another danger that the same software, with somewhat different hardware, could pose to liberty. The same targeting routines and combat routines could be used in machines equipped with non-lethal as well as lethal weaponry for the purpose of crowd control, riot suppression, and crackdowns on dissent.
Every revolution that has ever happened has happened because a government became so unpopular and so out of touch with the needs of the people that its own soldiers deserted it. But if the soldiers are robots, that can't happen. For the first time in history, this technology creates the real possibility that a government could impose its rule on its own people by force.
That's a scary thought. I strongly feel this should not be allowed to go forward.
The article only discusses such machines in their potential war-fighting capacity, with the danger they pose for increased civilian casualties and reduced accountability. But there's another danger that the same software, with somewhat different hardware, could pose to liberty. The same targeting routines and combat routines could be used in machines equipped with non-lethal as well as lethal weaponry for the purpose of crowd control, riot suppression, and crackdowns on dissent.
Every revolution that has ever happened has happened because a government became so unpopular and so out of touch with the needs of the people that its own soldiers deserted it. But if the soldiers are robots, that can't happen. For the first time in history, this technology creates the real possibility that a government could impose its rule on its own people by force.
That's a scary thought. I strongly feel this should not be allowed to go forward.