August 28, 2017

Killer Robots Drive Concern but Odds of Ban Less Clear

By Paul Scharre

The past week has seen a flurry of news stories on “killer robots,” which wouldn’t be complete without the obligatory Terminator and Robocop images. Countries were supposed to meet this month at the United Nations to discuss lethal autonomous weapons (aka “killer robots”), but meetings have been delayed till November due to funding shortfalls. Instead, we’ve been treated to a spike in media interest courtesy of an open letter signed by over 100 robotics and artificial intelligence company CEOs expressing concern about lethal autonomous weapons. You might be forgiven for thinking amidst all of this noise that momentum is building towards a ban. A careful reading of the letter suggests a different story, though.

Read the full op-ed in The Cipher Brief.

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