May 09, 2018
Autonomous Weapons or “Killer Robots”: The Next Threat to World Peace?
Our guest is Paul Scharre, a former Army Ranger who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. He’s the director of the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. He’s written a book about the future of warfare- called Army of None.
Nations around the world are racing to build a variety of autonomous lethal weapons, with global spending on military robotics estimated to reach $7.5 billion this year. But what happens when a Predator drone has as much autonomy as a self-driving car? A growing chorus of voices are warning of the danger of autonomous weapons that could hunt for and destroy targets all on their own.
Listen to this podcast and more at WMNF
More from CNAS
-
Commentary
Energy, Economics & Security / Technology & National Security
Beyond Bans: Expanding the Policy Options for Tech-Security ThreatsStuck between a rock (the fact that banning all Chinese tech that poses a risk is expensive and impractical) and a hard place (the fact that many existing mitigation proposals...
By Geoffrey Gertz
-
Reports
Indo-Pacific Security / Technology & National Security
Cyber Crossroads in the Indo-PacificThe Indo-Pacific faces a cyber crossroads. Down one path lies deeper military, intelligence, and economic ties between Washington and its key allies and partners in this strat...
By Vivek Chilukuri, Lisa Curtis, Janet Egan, Morgan Peirce, Elizabeth Whatcott & Nathaniel Schochet
-
Commentary
Technology & National Security
Securing America’s AI Future: Federal Research and Development PrioritiesOn April 29, 2025, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) issued a Request for Information on the Development of a 2025 National Artificial Intelligenc...
By Caleb Withers & Spencer Michaels
-
Video
Middle East Security / Technology & National Security
‘We Want Peace’: How Attacks Between Israel and Iran Could Impact People in NCRetired Lt. Gen. Jack Shanahan is an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for New American Security. Shanahan provided some context on how the two Middle East countries got her...
By Lt. Gen. Jack Shanahan
