Weaponized Killer Robots
The cluster discusses fears of advanced humanoid robots like Boston Dynamics or Tesla Optimus being used as autonomous weapons in warfare, referencing Slaughterbots and comparing to drones and landmines while debating ethics, proliferation, and human oversight.
Activity Over Time
Top Contributors
Keywords
Sample Comments
this doesn't seem to be how it works in practice. Weaponized remote control robots are already a thing in warfare (drones) and it seems to make murder way too easy.
Flying robots with missiles/guns/high-power lasers/weapons should never be automated.
Violent subjugation using a robot army?
Slaughterbots come to anyone's mind?For those that haven't seen it, it's on youtube.Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SlaughterbotsVideo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CO6M2HsoIA
Do note that the robots described in this article only drive autonomously, and when armed, need a human to (remotely) fire the weapons.If the robot shot autonomously, you'd have a point about mercy. But the way it is described here, it's exactly the same mercy-wise as if the soldier manning the weapons was riding along in the vehicle.
Preface: of course these things can do a world of good, fearless super-strong firefighters, medics immune to toxins, etc.So, people here are saying we already have xyz dangerous machine, but xyz isn't as scary. So let's imagine why this is scarier:These things will be able to see in 360 degree multispectral/thermal/sound vision, and aim six arms at multiple people through walls simultaneously, never sleep, rarely need to recharge/eat, and have absolutely no empathy
You're not representing him fairly, those aren't robots, there are trained killers on the other end of the drones.
A landmine doesn't recognize friend/foe. Robots are better.
Maybe I don't see the problem, but I don't see the problem with robots hunting down and killing humans. As long as the robots are controlled by the side I am on, I am good with this. Yes, there are some technical issues to overcome that guarantee we keep them under our control, but those issues will be overcome before deployment.I wouldn't mind having a future where someone attacks my country or needs to be wiped out (ISIS, Al Qaeda in "Some cesspool of a country") an
IMO it's not obvious that autonomous robots would be worse at things like discriminating between civilian and military targets than humans -- particularly when said humans are in a life-or-death situation that requires quick decisions. The way the article describes it, it looks more like an attempt by the parties currently lacking technology to level the playing field through diplomatic means, rather than a mutually beneficial arrangement.