December 11, 2018

Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War

By Ilan Goldenberg and Paul Scharre

What happens when a Predator drone has as much autonomy as a Google car? Or when a weapon that can hunt its own targets is hacked? Although it sounds like science fiction, the technology already exists to create weapons that can attack targets without human input.

One person who has taken a deep look into autonomous weapons is Paul Scharre, Director of the Technology and National Security Program at CNAS and former Army Ranger. In this episode, Scharre talks with host Ilan Goldenberg about how far weapons have evolved and how the world reconcile with the moral implications of these advancements. Scharre is also author of the book Army of None: Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War.

Catch the rest of the "Stories from the Backchannel" series here.

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