Legal Scholars, Software Engineers Revolt Against War Robots

WASHINGTON: The debate over the use of artificial intelligence in warfare is heating up, with Google employees protesting their company’s Pentagon contracts, South Koreans protesting university cooperation with their military, and international experts gathering next week to debate whether to pursue a treaty limiting military AI. While countries like Russia and China are investing heavily in artificial intelligence without restraints, the US and allied militaries like South Korea face a rising tide of opposition.

Rule of Law

The international conclave has the kind of name you only encounter when dealing with the United Nations and related organizations: the Convention on Conventional Weapons Group of Governmental Experts on Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (CCWGGELAWS?). Those experts meet next week and in August. Note they have a new acronym for armed AI systems: LAWS.

How is all this arcana relevant to the US military? Treaties are the bedrock of international relations, specific agreements that help define the relations between states. Idealists — and those who want to bind their enemy’s conduct — often believe treaties are the best mechanism for governing what is allowed in warfare.

Read the full article at Breaking Defense