Who's Going To Stop The Rise Of The Killer Robots?

Marines work on armed MUTT robot in MIX-16 experiment.

Glenn Harlan Reynolds, USA Today: Who's going to stop the rise of the killer robots? Don't ignore science fiction warnings.

Fiction writers have been warning us about how artificial intelligence can go wrong, but our governments can't resist the pull.

Russia’s Kalashnikov is now building unmanned tank drones. According to a report in Popular Mechanics: “The vehicle will carry both machine guns and anti-tank missiles and weigh up to 20 tons. Kalashnikov currently markets the 7-ton BAS-01G Soratnik (‘Comrade-in-Arms’) combat vehicle. The vehicle, which looks like a miniature tank, is designed to support infantry with a Kalashnikov PKTM machine gun and up to eight Kornet-EM anti-tank missiles. The Sorkatnik has a top speed of 25 miles per hour, can operate at ranges of up to six miles, and can operate with a degree of autonomy.”

Seeing this made me think of the Bolos, unmanned intelligent tanks that featured in a lot of stories by science fiction author Keith Laumer. In Laumer’s stories, the Bolos were utterly loyal, and adhered strictly to their programmed-in "laws of war," sparing civilians even when that would produce a military disadvantage. They were capable of forming personal attachments to their human fellow-soldiers, and often seem to be smarter, more moral and, in some sense, better than the people they defend.

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WNU Editor: According to some, it will not make a difference .... Why banning autonomous killer robots wouldn’t solve anything (AEON).