With ever increasing knowledge of Artificial Intelligence and robotics, armies and military of many countries have been employing Autonomous Weapons. While most may think, robots fighting wars would help save a lot of human lives, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk does not think so. In fact, he along with 115 leading robotics experts feel, autonomous weapons will bring doom to society.
The group of experts led by Musk penned a letter to the United Nations to ask them to cease using all of these automated weapons in the field of combat. These include drones, autonomous machine guns, tanks, and any other weapons controlled by advanced technology and an AI.
This note was released by the Future of Life Institute and was shown off in the Conference of Artificial Intelligence in Melbourne, Australia.
What the note states
Musk shares no love for AI and does not trust the latest technology in this department. He feels that the artificial intelligence has the ability to go against human beings. He detests the medium so much that he recently termed AI as the single greatest threat to human civilization, ranking it as being far more dangerous than nuclear weapons. This marks the first time that such a large number of robotics companies have come together in warning the UN off against using these autonomous weapons.
The companies feel that depending on these weapons would introduce the planet to an all new form of warfare, one which cannot be controlled by humans.
These devices may fall into enemy hands as well and they may use these unstoppable devices to spread terror and kill millions of innocent people across the world. Being controlled by artificial intelligence, some of these devices may be hacked and turned against the nation that deployed it in the first place.
Some of the people who signed the letter were also worried what impact such weapon deployments may have when it comes to further development of AI systems.
Artificial intelligence can be used in medical and other sectors as well, as a way of saving lives, but this reliance on the technology for weapons may hamper its growth in other sectors.
What the UN thinks?
The UN’s Review Conference of the Convention on Conventional Weapons have already expressed its concerns over using such autonomous weapons.
A discussion of the same issue was slated to take place on August 21 but has now been delayed till November. 19 of the member nations of the UN have supported stopping the usage of such robotic killers on the battlefield.
