A recent U.S. Air Force assessment concludes, “by 2030 machine capabilities will have increased to the point that humans have become the weakest component in a wide array of systems and processes.” Though the most obvious example of such a system is drones, other, perhaps more worrying machinery, could become increasingly prevalent. Christof Heynes, a United Nations expert, recently brought up concerns about the advancement of robotics to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, stating, “If there’s ever going to be a time to regulate or stop these weapons, it’s now”. As the world’s wartime technology advances, the UN and countries around the world should indeed take steps to regulate and limit the extent that these technologies may be used.
Science fiction movies and books have long warned that the end of the world might come as a result of autonomous robots; while such storylines are probably still the stuff of futuristic fantasies, the real consequences of our current technology might not be too far off. Robots can explore, spy, and kill with minimal assistance from humans, and Heynes stated in Geneva that the technology to replace humans to an even larger extent is quickly approaching. They might not yet be killing their human masters, but these robots do kill humans, and they can do so with decreasing amounts of supervision. In areas where humans can’t stay up all night, robots are tempting watch replacements, as they are tempting killing replacements in hard-to-reach areas for people. With this autonomy, though, come major concerns.
Heynes succinctly summarized the main problem with these mechanical robots: “War without reflection is mechanical slaughter”. As I argued in an earlier blog, lowering the barriers of access to war will inevitably result in more death, destruction, and cycles of violence. If we are to uphold the standards of wartime decency set forth by treaties and agreements over the years, we must make sure that those standards reflect the state of our current technology. Advancements in robotics, and in non-human warfare in general, deserve meetings and consideration by every country and international organization concerned with warfare.
Autonomous robots may seem a thing of the future, but they are too current of an issue to ignore. Regardless of whether they are judged to be good, bad, or indifferent for the future of warfare, they must be worked into current codes of war and human rights so that counties and citizens know exactly where they stand. Hopefully, aided by the testimony given by Heynes and other experts, killing machines will be severely limited in their capacities around the world; as devices that lend themselves to effortless killing, they can only bring trouble where they are unquestioningly accepted.
A recent U.S. Air Force assessment concludes, “by 2030 machine capabilities will have increased to the point that humans have become the weakest component in a wide array of systems and processes.” Though the most obvious example of such a system is drones, other, perhaps more worrying machinery, could become increasingly prevalent. Christof Heynes, a United Nations expert, recently brought up concerns about the advancement of robotics to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, stating, “If there’s ever going to be a time to regulate or stop these weapons, it’s now.” As the world’s wartime technology advances, the UN and countries around the world should indeed take steps to regulate and limit the extent that these technologies may be used.
