July 29, 2016
Who’ll want artificially intelligent weapons? ISIS, democracies, or autocracies?
One of the biggest fears about the nexus of artificial intelligence and the military is that machine learning—a type of artificial intelligence that allows computers to learn from new data without being explicitly programmed—could spread rapidly in military systems, and even risk an arms race. And the alarm over the consequences of robots armed with weapons even extended to the recent use of a remotely piloted, rather than autonomous, bomb disposal robot retrofitted with an explosive by the Dallas Police Department in July 2016. That event triggered a wave of articles about the consequences of robots with weapons, especially when used outside the military.
Discussions of the military applications of robotics have tended to focus on the United States, largely because of America’s extensive use of uninhabited (also called unmanned) aerial vehicles, or “drones,” to conduct surveillance and launch lethal strikes against suspected militants around the world. Yet limiting the discussion of military robotics to those developed by wealthy, democratic countries such as the United States may miss important underlying trends.
Read the full article on the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
More from CNAS
-
Commentary
Technology & National Security
Sharper: Countering Cyber ThreatsAdvanced AI and quantum capabilities are increasing the cyber threat to critical systems, making the development of proper resilience and responses a national security imperat...
By Charles Horn & Cadence Barker
-
Podcast
Technology & National Security
Spies, Satellites & Startups: Intel in the Digital AgeDr. Anthony Vinci, adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security and the first Chief Technology Officer and Associate Director for Capabilities at the Nation...
By Anthony Vinci
-
Congressional Testimony
Technology & National Security
A.I. Is Lying to You. Here’s How to Fight Back.A recent study in the scientific journal Nature showed that A.I. dialogue is roughly four times as persuasive as traditional political ads....
By Anthony Vinci
-
Video
Technology & National Security
Open AI Says AI Must Remain Under Human ControlMichelle Nie Duncan, visiting fellow with the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, joins BBC News to discuss AI risks. Watch th...
By Michelle Nie
