May 26, 2015
The Morality of Robotic War
Earlier this month, “Avengers: Age of Ultron” was released in theaters across the United States, featuring Marvel comics superheroes battling evil robots powered by artificial intelligence and hellbent on destroying humanity.
Sentient military machines still remain in the realm of science fiction, but some autonomous weapons are already technically possible today. And the role of autonomy in military systems is likely to grow as armies take advantage of the same basic technology used in self-driving cars and household robots. Autonomous weapons are not the same as drones. A drone is remotely piloted by a person, who makes the decision to fire its weapons. In contrast, an autonomous weapon is one that, once activated, can select and engage targets on its own.
Read the full op-ed in The New York Times.
More from CNAS
-
Podcast
Transatlantic Security / Technology & National Security
Droning On: How Ukraine and Russia Have Revolutionized Drone WarfareIn this episode of Three Questions, Paul Saunders speaks with Samuel Bendett, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security. Mr. Bendett is a military ana...
By Samuel Bendett
-
Reports
Technology & National Security
Artificial Intelligence and Arms ControlAdvances in artificial intelligence (AI) pose immense opportunity for militaries around the world. With this rising potential for AI-enabled military systems, some activists a...
By Paul Scharre & Megan Lamberth
-
Podcast
Indo-Pacific Security / Technology & National Security
Fire and IceIn this week’s edition of the SpyTalk podcast, Jeff Stein goes deep on the CIA’s looming eviction from Afghanistan with Lisa Curtis, a longtime former CIA, State Department an...
By Lisa Curtis, Jeff Stein, Jeanne Meserve & Alma Katsu
-
Reports
Technology & National Security
Principles for the Combat Employment of Weapon Systems with Autonomous FunctionalitiesThese seven new principles concentrate on the responsible use of autonomous functionalities in armed conflict in ways that preserve human judgment and responsibility over the ...
By Robert O. Work
