I grew up thinking that Killer Robots From Venus was a pretty amusing song. Now that we’re living in 2013, the ‘future’, we have to seriously contemplate the implications of building robots that can kill as their intended purpose. Our next-future expectations depend upon what we choose now. I’m not okay with building Terminators, just because we have the technical capability. We should be seriously concerned, even if we don’t think a Skynet scenario will play out as it did in the movies.
The consequences are dire and deadly even if the machines don’t ‘decide’ to turn against their human programmers.
“Giving machines the power to decide who lives and dies on the battlefield would take technology too far,” said Steve Goose, arms division director at Human Rights Watch. “Human control of robotic warfare is essential to minimising civilian deaths and injuries.”
US political activist Jody Williams, who won a Nobel peace prize for her work at the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, is expected to join Sharkey at the launch at the House of Commons. Williams said she was confident that a pre-emptive ban on autonomous weapons could be achieved in the same way as the international embargo on anti-personnel landmines. “I know we can do the same thing with killer robots. I know we can stop them before they hit the battlefield,” said Williams, who chairs the Nobel Women’s Initiative.
“Killer robots loom over our future if we do not take action to ban them now,” she said. “The six Nobel peace laureates involved in the Nobel Women’s Initiative fully support the call for an international treaty to ban fully autonomous weaponised robots.”
“They may be metallic, but they’re just like me and you.” – Arrogant Worms.
No, they are not just like me and you; they’re killing-machines. Don’t let computer scientists program killer robots.
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We can’t even seem to convince some people that it’s a good idea to harness wind energy, yet those same people might defend the creation of deadly robots that could quite literally be turned against them and their family giving a worst case scenario.
Saskboy's Abandoned Stuff 
We approach the singularity. AI machines will be our evolved post-human future. And they will be like us, killers.
Hi John! I know you read my comments incessantly so you most likely will read this ;) ! I usually don’t comment on things on your blog that I have no real opinion on (but the singer on your head post is coming to Orangeville so I will look into it!!!). This post did make me chuckle tho’! As this post is about robotics I am curious as to your opinion.
I know nothing about computers nor robotic programs. (there is information about robotic buy/sell programs in the stock market that sure as hell could use a translation for computer illiterate folk).
What do you think?
dubya dubya dubya dot watt[]upwiththat.com/2013/03/01/friday-funny-john-cooks-withdrawal-symptoms/#more-81117 Confirmed by Leo Hickman (who I read) and SS itself. Here is what Mr Hickman says “Reflecting such concern, I have learned that Skeptical Science, who have never lobbied to be nominated and are the only non-climate sceptic blog on the Science shortlist, has now asked to be withdrawn from the shortlist due to its concerns about the legitimacy of the voting process.”
Yet at the VERY same time the American Geophisical Union gives Skeptical Science a Eureka Award for “Climate-change deniers have nowhere to hide thanks to an ingenious piece of software that detects inaccurate statements on global warming that appear on the internet and delivers an automated response on Twitter citing peer- reviewed scientific evidence. The so-called „Twitter-bot‟ is the brainchild of Australian webmaster John Cook and software developer Nigel Leck, and is part of an armoury of tools Cook has developed to rebut common myths and inaccuracies about climate change.” blogs.agu.org/wildwildscience/2011/09/08/john-cook-at-skeptical-science-wins-eureka-prize/
TWITTER-BOT inventor complaining of a rigged system?????
The reason I ask is that Mac asked if I was a bot… because of my use of exclamation marks!!!!!!! He asked as a ‘derogatory’ observation. Yet here is the same thing really happening and being glorified no less from only a different point of view. Do you not question? Is the voting system that easily rigged? Why are sceptics the only ones nominated?
Your computer answers would be of help… thank you.
PS… In addition to Chelyabinsk (which I’ve followed since the 70’s) I also gave you Der Spiegel with 360deg Volcano Cam ™ dubya dubya dubya dot spiegel.de/international/world/four-volcanoes-erupting-concurrently-on-kamchatka-peninsula-a-880777.html
And also the legalized fight to repeal the law of Gravity… from us flat-earthers an’ all dubya dubya dubya dot davidthompson.typepad.com/davidthompson/2013/02/gravity-is-a-mistake.html
I so love sayin’ dubya I know it drives the lefties crazy!!! ;)