Scientists calling for ban on weaponized AI
Marie Donlon | February 19, 2019
A coalition of scientists is calling for a worldwide ban on weaponized artificial intelligence (AI), otherwise known as killer robots.
Pleading their case at the recent American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting held in Washington, D.C., the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots coalition, which is composed of almost 90 non-governmental groups from 50 different countries, are calling for an international treaty that would make it illegal to develop AI-driven weaponry that could make “kill” decisions in the field.
Enabling technology to kill without human intervention and having that weaponry malfunction in unexpected ways, potentially killing innocent people, are chief among the concerns of the coalition. Also among the coalition’s concerns is determining who is legally responsible in the event of a malfunction or an unlawful killing.
Speaking in support of the ban, Ryan Gariepy, chief technological officer at Clearpath Robotics said: "As advanced as we are, the state of AI is really limited by image recognition. It is good but does not have the detail or context to be judge, jury and executioner on a battlefield.
"An autonomous system cannot make a decision to kill or not to kill in a vacuum. The de-facto decision has been made thousands of miles away by developers, programmers and scientists who have no conception of the situation the weapon is deployed in."
The coalition of scientists is not alone in its quest to ban killer robots. Last August, activists attending the United Nations’ Convention of Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) also called for a treaty that would ban “killer robots.” Likewise, the European Parliament also passed a resolution to ban killer robots back in September of last year. Similarly, back in April of 2018, over 50 experts in AI from 30 different countries boycotted Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (Kaist) in South Korea for its relationship with weapons builder Hanwha Systems.
That's like scientists calling for a ban on nuclear weapons, . . . . or anything else that could be used to do harm.
Didn't scientists back in the early days of nuclear weapons recommend a ban on nuclear weapons? How well did that work?
If countries enter into some sort of anti-weaponized-AI (AWAI) agreement, how do they ensure cooperation? Seems like it would be much easier to hide weaponized AI than nuclear weapons.
Maybe we need an AI Doomsday Clock such as the one the Union of Concerned Scientists set up to reflect their perception of the danger of nuclear war.
Did anyone else think of Gort after reading this article?
And these assumed superpowers will abide to loosing the edge on their lust for power and world manipulation? Are they going to destroy the existing Ai weapons that are in use today? On the surface it will cease, underground and behind the scene, it will flourish, no matter what scientist want or say as governments know, the majority of Jo Public is gullible.
My apologies, ladies and gentlemen, Pandora's box has been opened. Weaponized AI is inevitable. No little feel good piece of paper is going to impede that.
In reply to #5
As and Pandora has left the building (and taken her AI drones with her). They were way late.
I doubt they'd be successful in this demand, ever. But I'll bet they feel better, and can now brush off their shoulders and say " well, we did our duty" and tried.
Now that it is possible for AI to have our permission to kill and they start manufacturing their replicas who will be able to stop them from deciding we as a parasite on this planet is not in need of being extinguished.
Valiant Thor or Captain Marvel may pop past to sort out these killer Ai's
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