The moment the first mechanical gizmo entered the lives of humanity, the idea that machines may some day rise up and claim the planet for themselves has been a very real fear. Tyrants using technology against people, compromising their freedoms, and human rights, has also been a recurring concept in visions of the future. I remember a number of old black and white films from an era long before my birth making such claims. It was a fascinating science fiction toy to play with, because in reality, we never had the technology for it to become true. . . until now.
Rather than having flying cars like the Jetsons were able to operate, we are working our way toward cars that remain on the ground, and drive themselves. The fliers won't be cars, unfortunately. The things that fly will not hold humans in them physically. They are drones, the flying robots Obama has been using to hunt down terrorists, and the machines Amazon plans to use to make deliveries. The flying machines are flown by remote control, but now we are being told that artificial intelligence will be the next step for drones. And as the use of drones by local law enforcement is increasing, the idea of drones flying around in the name of the law, independent to do as they please, while armed and ready to fire, is suddenly very disconcerting.
Never mind a bunch of cyborgs that look like Arnold Schwarzenegger running around. We have on our hands a real chance of having to deal with flying terminators.
According to CBS News, the future is here, and the super soldier turned killer robot is not some lumbering humanoid-looking mechanical man on the ground, but a sleek marvel of advanced engineering flying around armed with deadly weaponry, and guided by artificial intelligence.
The fear is when you take out of the equation the human ability to reason, you create a real problem. As explained in a Human Rights Watch report, in conjunction with Harvard Law School's International Human Rights Clinic, "Fully autonomous weapons represent the step beyond remote-controlled armed drones. Unlike any existing weapons, these robots would identify and fire on targets without meaningful human intervention."
According to HRW, the governments of the United States, Israel, China, Russia, South Korea and the United Kingdom are believed to be investigating the potential of autonomous drones, with the U.S. and U.K. already sending devices on test flights.
The HRW report argues that such autonomous weapons would undermine basic human rights and the principle of human dignity.
"As inanimate machines, fully autonomous weapons could truly comprehend neither the value of individual life nor the significance of its loss," said the report. "Allowing them to make determinations to take life away would thus conflict with the principle of dignity."
Another fear is that the autonomous drones would not be able to distinguish between combatants and civilians.
There are also concerns around accountability for attacks carried out by autonomous drone. "International law mandates accountability in order to deter future unlawful acts and punish past ones, which in turn recognizes victims' suffering," said the report. "It is uncertain, however, whether meaningful accountability for the actions of a fully autonomous weapon would be possible. The weapon itself could not be punished or deterred because machines do not have the capacity to suffer."
And we must also remember, technology developed for military use trickles down to civilian use, allowing local law enforcement the use of these machines, and ultimately the use of "killer drones" by criminal syndicates.
According to HRW, the governments of the United States, Israel, China, Russia, South Korea and the United Kingdom are believed to be investigating the potential of autonomous drones, with the U.S. and U.K. already sending devices on test flights.
The HRW report argues that such autonomous weapons would undermine basic human rights and the principle of human dignity.
"As inanimate machines, fully autonomous weapons could truly comprehend neither the value of individual life nor the significance of its loss," said the report. "Allowing them to make determinations to take life away would thus conflict with the principle of dignity."
Another fear is that the autonomous drones would not be able to distinguish between combatants and civilians.
There are also concerns around accountability for attacks carried out by autonomous drone. "International law mandates accountability in order to deter future unlawful acts and punish past ones, which in turn recognizes victims' suffering," said the report. "It is uncertain, however, whether meaningful accountability for the actions of a fully autonomous weapon would be possible. The weapon itself could not be punished or deterred because machines do not have the capacity to suffer."
And we must also remember, technology developed for military use trickles down to civilian use, allowing local law enforcement the use of these machines, and ultimately the use of "killer drones" by criminal syndicates.
Once the genie is out of the bottle, all of the regulations in the world won't stop it, either. The question is, do we have enough sense and morality as humans to refrain from taking this technology to the next step, beyond our control?
History says "Nay."
-- Political Pistachio Conservative News and Commentary
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