{"id":324017,"date":"2021-08-13T11:37:59","date_gmt":"2021-08-13T08:37:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/its-not-too-late-to-stop-the-killer-robot-uprising\/"},"modified":"2021-08-13T11:37:59","modified_gmt":"2021-08-13T08:37:59","slug":"its-not-too-late-to-stop-the-killer-robot-uprising","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/its-not-too-late-to-stop-the-killer-robot-uprising\/","title":{"rendered":"#It\u2019s not too late to stop the killer robot uprising"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a387290d0e86\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a387290d0e86\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/its-not-too-late-to-stop-the-killer-robot-uprising\/#The_lesson_of_nuclear_weapons\" >The lesson of nuclear weapons<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/its-not-too-late-to-stop-the-killer-robot-uprising\/#A_warning_to_the_world\" >A warning to the world<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/its-not-too-late-to-stop-the-killer-robot-uprising\/#Nightmare_swarms\" >Nightmare swarms<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/its-not-too-late-to-stop-the-killer-robot-uprising\/#Time_for_a_treaty\" >Time for a treaty<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#It\u2019s not too late to stop the killer robot uprising<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>Last year, according to a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/undocs.org\/S\/2021\/229\">United Nations report<\/a> published in March, Libyan government forces hunted down rebel forces using \u201clethal autonomous weapons systems\u201d that were \u201cprogrammed to attack targets without requiring data connectivity between the operator and the munition\u201d. The deadly drones were <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stm.com.tr\/en\/kargu-autonomous-tactical-multi-rotor-attack-uav\">Turkish-made quadcopters<\/a> about the size of a dinner plate, capable of delivering a warhead weighing a kilogram or so.<\/p>\n<p>Artificial intelligence researchers like me have been <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/futureoflife.org\/open-letter-autonomous-weapons\/\">warning<\/a> of the advent of such lethal autonomous weapons systems, which can make life-or-death decisions without human intervention, for years. A <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/iview.abc.net.au\/video\/NC2103H026S00\">recent episode of 4 Corners<\/a> reviewed this and many other risks posed by developments in AI.<\/p>\n<p>Around 50 countries are <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hrw.org\/news\/2021\/08\/02\/killer-robots-urgent-need-fast-track-talks\">meeting<\/a> at the UN offices in Geneva this week in the latest attempt to hammer out a treaty to prevent the proliferation of these killer devices. History shows such treaties are needed, and that they can work.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_lesson_of_nuclear_weapons\"><\/span>The lesson of nuclear weapons<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Scientists are pretty good at warning of the dangers facing the planet. Unfortunately, society is less good at paying attention.<\/p>\n<p>In August 1945, the United States dropped atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing up to 200,000 civilians. Japan surrendered days later. The second world war was over, and the Cold War began.<\/p>\n<p>The world still lives today under the threat of nuclear destruction. On a dozen or so occasions since then, we have come within minutes of all-out nuclear war.<\/p>\n<p>Well before the first test of a nuclear bomb, many scientists working on the Manhattan Project were concerned about such a future. A <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.atomicheritage.org\/key-documents\/szilard-petition\">secret petition<\/a> was sent to President Harry S. Truman in July 1945. It accurately predicted the future:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The development of atomic power will provide the nations with new means of destruction. The atomic bombs at our disposal represent only the first step in this direction, and there is almost no limit to the destructive power which will become available in the course of their future development. Thus a nation which sets the precedent of using these newly liberated forces of nature for purposes of destruction may have to bear the responsibility of opening the door to an era of devastation on an unimaginable scale.<\/p>\n<p>If after this war a situation is allowed to develop in the world which permits rival powers to be in uncontrolled possession of these new means of destruction, the cities of the United States as well as the cities of other nations will be in continuous danger of sudden annihilation. All the resources of the United States, moral and material, may have to be mobilized to prevent the advent of such a world situation \u2026<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Billions of dollars have since been spent on nuclear arsenals that maintain the threat of mutually assured destruction, the \u201ccontinuous danger of sudden annihilation\u201d that the physicists warned about in July 1945.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_warning_to_the_world\"><\/span>A warning to the world<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Six years ago, thousands of my colleagues issued a <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/futureoflife.org\/open-letter-autonomous-weapons\/\">similar warning<\/a> about a new threat. Only this time, the petition wasn\u2019t secret. The world wasn\u2019t at war. And the technologies weren\u2019t being developed in secret. Nevertheless, they pose a similar threat to global stability.<\/p>\n<p>The threat comes this time from artificial intelligence, and in particular the development of lethal autonomous weapons: weapons that can identify, track and destroy targets without human intervention. The <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a> often like to call them \u201ckiller robots\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Our open letter to the UN carried a stark warning.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The key question for humanity today is whether to start a global AI arms race or to prevent it from starting. If any major military power pushes ahead with AI weapon development, a global arms race is virtually inevitable. The endpoint of such a technological trajectory is obvious: autonomous weapons will become the Kalashnikovs of tomorrow.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Strategically, autonomous weapons are a military dream. They let a military scale its operations unhindered by manpower constraints. One programmer can command hundreds of autonomous weapons. An army can take on the riskiest of missions without endangering its own soldiers.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Nightmare_swarms\"><\/span>Nightmare swarms<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>There are many reasons, however, why the military\u2019s dream of lethal autonomous weapons will turn into a nightmare. First and foremost, there is a strong moral argument against killer robots. We give up an essential part of our humanity if we hand to a machine the decision of whether a person should live or die.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond the moral arguments, there are many technical and legal reasons to be concerned about killer robots. One of the strongest is that they will revolutionize warfare. Autonomous weapons will be weapons of immense destruction.<\/p>\n<p>Previously, if you wanted to do harm, you had to have an army of soldiers to wage war. You had to persuade this army to follow your orders. You had to train them, feed them and pay them. Now just one programmer could control hundreds of weapons.<\/p>\n<p>In some ways, lethal autonomous weapons are even more troubling than nuclear weapons. To build a nuclear bomb requires considerable technical sophistication. You need the resources of a nation-state, skilled physicists and engineers, and access to scarce raw materials such as uranium and plutonium. As a result, nuclear weapons have not proliferated greatly.<\/p>\n<p>Autonomous weapons require none of this, and if produced they will likely become cheap and plentiful. They will be perfect weapons of terror.<\/p>\n<p>Can you imagine how terrifying it will be to be chased by a swarm of autonomous drones? Can you imagine such drones in the hands of terrorists and rogue states with no qualms about turning them on civilians? They will be an ideal weapon with which to suppress a civilian population. Unlike humans, they will not hesitate to commit atrocities, even genocide.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Time_for_a_treaty\"><\/span>Time for a treaty<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>We stand at a crossroads on this issue. It needs to be seen as morally unacceptable for machines to decide who lives and who dies. And for the diplomats at the UN to negotiate a treaty limiting their use, just as we have treaties to limit chemical, biological, and other weapons. In this way, we may be able to save ourselves and our children from this terrible future.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important;margin: 0 !important;max-height: 1px !important;max-width: 1px !important;min-height: 1px !important;min-width: 1px !important;padding: 0 !important\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\"js-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/165822\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\"\/><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https:\/\/theconversation.com\/republishing-guidelines --><\/p>\n<p><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important;margin: 0 !important;max-height: 1px !important;max-width: 1px !important;min-height: 1px !important;min-width: 1px !important;padding: 0 !important\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/165822\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" class=\"\" srcset=\"\"\/><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p><em>Article by <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/toby-walsh-51\">Toby Walsh<\/a>, Professor of AI at UNSW, Research Group Leader, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/unsw-1414\">UNSW<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This article is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/lethal-autonomous-weapons-and-world-war-iii-its-not-too-late-to-stop-the-rise-of-killer-robots-165822\">original article<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/not-too-late-to-stop-killer-robot-uprising-syndication\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#It\u2019s not too late to stop the killer robot uprising&#8221; Last year, according to a United Nations report published in March, Libyan government forces hunted down rebel forces using \u201clethal autonomous weapons systems\u201d that were \u201cprogrammed to attack targets without requiring data connectivity between the operator and the munition\u201d. The deadly drones were Turkish-made quadcopters&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":324018,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/neural?filter_last=1&fit=1280,640&url=https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/08\/Robots1.jpg&signature=a81ea837aee499aa6ecd3018e5629de8","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-324017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324017","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=324017"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324017\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/324018"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=324017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=324017"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=324017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}