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 Do we want robots of doom?

9/7/2015

7 Comments

 
Picturecampaign - en.wikipedia.org
 There have been calls for the United Nations to support a ban on independent weapons that pursue and fire on targets without human intervention—also known as ki … ll … er robots.

Okay, we've already got robots who can cook, wash the laundry, and perform other mundane tasks for us, but do we want them to terminate people as well? 

You could argue that it would be preferable than losing our own sons and husbands in senseless war. But, just by employing these weapons of destruction, the whole concept seems easier, more advantageous to the powers who govern us all.

The International Committee for Robot Arms Control acknowledges robots can make humans' lives better by doing mundane and dangerous tasks, increasing productivity and helping after natural disasters.

But what if robots are used for war?

Physicist Stephen Hawking and entrepreneur Elon Musk, along with thousands of scientists, signed a letter in July saying the rogue technology needed to be outlawed.

The letter from the Future of Life organisation argued if any major military power pushed ahead with Artificial Intelligence weapon development, a global arms race was virtually inevitable. Autonomous weapons would be cheap to mass produce and end up in the hands of terrorists, dictators and warlords.

PictureStormtrooper, Star Wars en.wikipedia.org
 Back in 1961, my fiancé and I had many discussions about raising a family and were both against it, considering the missiles pointed at large global cities, one of them close to us. He talked a lot about the troubled world, the strife, along with the poor and underprivileged that filled it, and gave good reasons not to bring more children to join the discontented masses.

Rumors abounded around the time of the Cold War about missiles pointing at every Australian capitol city as well as Woomera, a town north of Adelaide in the red heart of the country.


From Wikipedia: On November 10, 1958, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev delivered a speech in which he demanded that the Western powers of the United States, Great Britain and France pull their forces out of West Berlin within six months. This ultimatum sparked a three year crisis over the future of the city of Berlin that culminated in 1961 with the building of the Berlin Wall. The division of Germany and its capital city of Berlin among the four victors of the Second World War was frozen in time by the onset of the Cold War despite the postwar agreements to unify the zones.

The Cuban Missile Crisis was a 13-day (October 16–28, 1962) confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union over Soviet ballistic missiles deployed in Cuba. It played out on television worldwide and was the closest the Cold War came to escalating into a full-scale nuclear war.

Please. Let's not get back to that scenario.

Whatever technology humans produce can be used for good or for harm. But so often, the creations fall into the wrong hands.

See 10 reasons why slayer robots should be banned: Sky news. 

Do you think these robots should be banned?

7 Comments
Meena Menon link
9/7/2015 03:07:21 am

I obviously missed this piece of news! Yea whil it sounds a great option than sending our soldiers to warfront but it raises the question of what if it falls to wrong hands!

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nabanitadhar link
9/7/2015 04:34:37 am

I agree I think we need to not go to a point and create things that can cause greater harm to the human civilization..There is no dearth of people who want to wreck havoc on this planet, why give them the ammo to do that!

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Kathy link
9/7/2015 08:25:46 am

Now that is a scary thought.

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Scott link
9/7/2015 09:50:29 am

I don't think a ban would even work. Trying to stop technology is futile. Now, if it were just a robot vs. robot war, I think that would be acceptable!

Reply
Alana link
9/7/2015 10:12:14 am

I am more and more pessimistic over the long term survival of the human race. If there are no intelligent spacefaring races out there (when we try to tune in and listen), well, maybe there's a good reason.

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Nick #thisyearinmusic link
9/7/2015 11:04:00 am

I really love scare mongering pieces like this from Sky.

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Gilly Maddison link
9/7/2015 02:03:23 pm

Good grief - NO! Thanks for this piece - I don't read papers or watch the news any more so I was not aware of it. Why does it have to be an either/or situation as in robots or real soldiers? Why can we not just stop fighting? Someone makes masses and masses of money from all the hardware of war (who is raking it in from the Syrian crisis right now?) It is disgusting. How do those living off the proceeds of war sleep easy in their mansions? Sad sad world. I totally agree with your wise decision re children. I wish I had given it the same thought. My husband and I have 8 grandchildren between us and I feel sick at the thought of what the future holds for them. I hope against all hope that this is simply scaremongering from Sky designed to keep us all living in a state of fear and panic. That is why I stopped watching the news because I don't want to fall prey to that kind of control. Not easy to resist though!

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    Francene Stanley
    From England, I use news items in my novels which you can see below, all linked to an Amazon near you.

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