Science and technology experts signed an open letter on July 27 warning about what they say are the dangers of using artificial intelligence (AI) in the global arms race.

Dangers of using AI in the global arms race. Image credit: Paramount pictures.The signatories warned that if any major military power pushes ahead with development of autonomous weapons, “a global arms race is virtually inevitable, and the endpoint of this technological trajectory is obvious: autonomous weapons will become the Kalashnikovs of tomorrow.”

The scientists argue that, unlike nuclear weapons, once technologies such as robotics are developed for battlefield use, they will require no costly or hard-to-obtain raw materials, making mass production a possibility.

“It will only be a matter of time until they appear on the black market and in the hands of terrorists, dictators wishing to better control their populace, warlords wishing to perpetrate ethnic cleansing, etc.,” the letter says.

The signatories included various leading figures globally in academia and business studying artificial intelligence, as well as philosophers, historians, sociologists and geneticists, among others.

Those signing the letter included Elon Musk, Tesla Motors CEO; Demis Hassabis, who founded Google DeepMind; and Noam Chomsky, an emeritus professor at MIT.

“We therefore believe that a military AI arms race would not be beneficial for humanity,” the letter says. “There are many ways in which AI can make battlefields safer for humans, especially civilians, without creating new tools for killing people.”