Quit worrying about killer robots, they are coming whether you like it or not – and they absolutely will not stop

The use of fully automated AI systems in military battles is inevitable unless there are strict regulations in place from international treaties, eggheads have opined. Their paper, which popped up on arXiv [PDF] last week, discusses the grim outlook of developing killing machines for armed forces. The idea of keeping humans in …

[PK]

PK

I can't see the problem. We need something able to keep fighting over the planet once it gets too hot for us meatware to survive

[Paul 195]

Worse than the terminator

Philip K Dick's Second Variety (also available as a mediocre film) painted the really chilling truth about autonomous weaponry long before the technology to build it was available: a machine does the thing that you designed it to, and carries on doing it whether or not it serves any purpose.

It makes The Terminator look like a nursery story. https://philipkdickreview.wordpress.com/2014/05/07/second-variety/

Paris to cheer us all up again.

[Anon Coward (there are nutters out there - I've worked with them)]

The nerds have a a choice

Like - why doesn't the scientific community grow some and tell the powers that be to......

Then use our decent sized brains working out how to save the planet and not destroy it!

FFS!

[amanfromMars 1]

Re: The nerds have a a choice, and speak with their mice:-)

Like - why doesn't the scientific community grow some and tell the powers that be to......

Then use our decent sized brains working out how to save the planet and not destroy it!

FFS ..... Anon Coward (there are nutters out there - I've worked with them)

Good questions, Anon Coward (there are nutters out there - I've worked with them.

Are they terrified or not interested enough yet? Do you want to destroy that, FFS? Make it increasingly extremely costly to be ignorant and arrogant powers that used to be leaders in command and control ‽ .

That's a universal language they just might be able/enabled to understand perfectly and surprisingly quickly, given what they are right to fear whenever they lose other folks' fortunes along with their own cash cows.

[Cliff Thorburn]

Re: The nerds have a a choice, and speak with their mice:-)

So desperate they become to control your mind, they lose control of their own ...

[amanfromMars 1]

Re: The nerds have a a choice, and speak with their mice:-)

So desperate they become to control your mind, they lose control of their own ... ... Cliff Thorburn

Yes, quite so. It is as simple as that, CT. :-) And that opens up a whole new vista of platforms to exploit or eradicate/support or deny future succour and limitless bounty.

[zonardave]

The only hope is to replace politicians with AI systems, thereby inserting a healthy portion of dysfunctionality into the decision neural network, since irrationality is required to optimize politics. This insertion of random, counterproductive behavior will cause a high enough level of failure to perform as predicted to serve as a check on unfettered deployment of LAW systems by the AI masters who will be making the decision.

[amanfromMars 1]

FTFY .... @zonardave

The only hope is to replace politicians with AI systems, thereby inserting a healthy portion of dysfunctionality into the decision neural network, since irrationality is required to optimize politics. This insertion of random, counterproductive behavior will cause a high enough level of failure to perform as predicted to serve as a check on unfettered deployment of LAW systems by the AI masters who will be making the decision. ..... zonardave

An Alien Translation ..... for Extraterrestrial Other Worldly Transubstantiations

Whether the only hope is to replace politicians with AI systems, thereby inserting a healthy portion of functionality into the decision neural network, since rationality is required to optimize politics, is but one novel narrow restrictive possibility, for there are always other equally disruptive avenues to open up and exploit for progress and lead. This insertion of spontaneous, productive behavior will cause a high enough level of success performing as predicted to serve as a reality check on unfettered deployment of LAW systems by the AI masters who will be making the decisions ensuring a constant and unassailable fair advantage ........ and not unfair because such strategic replacements and virtual emplacements are available to all.

:-) And what number do you put on that worth to Oligarch type Virtual Machines? .... Millions, billions, trillions ..... gazillions?

I suppose that question is all relative and fully depends upon the particular and peculiar levels of a Secret Secure AI Service required, with pay peanuts get monkeys a realistic driver of prospects for projects and programs.

[Anonymous Coward]

We already have Killer Bots

They just don't use the latest tech yet. For instance, a sea mine is programmed to decide when to blow up to damage or destroy a ship, without any "person in the loop". Loitering aerial munitions image recognize armored vehicles and pounce, what "person in the loop"? You mean the one that pressed the "launch" button?

So how do you define a killer bot? Uses AI? Has a computer built in (ha! lots of those already). Wanders around looking to kill a meatbag?

Even if someone makes up rules to follow, the gray area will literally kill you. It would be OK to hunter/kill another bot... but can you tell an unmanned bot from a manned one? Collateral damage is OK or unmentioned? (loophole big enough to drive a killer bot through that one) What does the killer bot do when the terrorist is using human shields and about to kill you (the "man in the loop"; wait for authorization which means the "man in the loop" dies, or kill the terrorist meatbag and few human shields w/o authorization from a "man in the loop"), sort of like what does the autonomous land vehicle do when the decision is kill the driver or kill the pedestrian?

The lawyers will swarm, the bots will kill them, then the Robot Overlords (the 1% folks who pay the programmers to control the bots) will rule. Love your soma, its all you get besides algae pap and Soylent Green. Unless you are a bot programmer or an Overlord. I'VE MADE MY CHOICE WORM! GROVEL AND LOVE IT!