“Killer Military Robots Pose Latest Threat To Humanity”

I’ve been saying this for years, and finally there’s another voice out there that confirms the worst problem since the proliferation of nuclear arms.

Sheffield, UK: A robotics expert at the University of Sheffield issued stark warnings over the threat posed to humanity by new robot weapons being developed by powers worldwide.

In a keynote address to the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), Professor Noel Sharkey, from the University's Department of Computer Science, expressed his concerns that we are beginning to see the first steps towards an international robot arms race. He warned that it may not be long before robots become a standard terrorist weapon to replace the suicide bomber.

www.defencetalk.com...

Unfortunately this race has been raging for over a decade, and I have to admit that I’ve been apart of it as well.

A few years back I was involved with one of the teams that was competing in one of the DARPAs grand Challenge Races.

Back then I immediately realized that the goal of the project was to create an unmanned system of logistical support which would be protected from the air by armed UAVs.

Considering the terrain and the race course chosen, it was obvious that somebody wanted to avoid the supply problems Soviets faced on twisting roads of Afghanistan’s mountains, where they suffered the bulk of the casualties.

These days, armed robots will inevitably evolve in fully AI driven, autonomous platforms that will be able to control designated areas indefinitely, and will have the ability not only to service/repair each other in the field, but will be able to literally construct new units on mobile, air droppable automated assembly lines.

This type of arms race will lead inevitably lead to AI driven tactical/problem solving engines which will have direct control over engendering and manufacturing of units required to counted various emerging threats.

Automated Ai driven optimization engines have already been implemented decades ago, and with advances of robotics, now they can be used to literally deign next generation of robots entirely with out human involvement.

This issue is not new by any means, and back in the early 1900s various scientist raised various issues of “mechanization”, most of which are literally coming true as we speak.

Currently it is the reality of now and not some sci-fi movie, (Terminator for example) or a problem of a distant future.

Every in depth study into the issue of computerization and AI automation lead to the same logical conclusion, inherent cycles of human behavior will eventually be identified as the root cause of instability by AI driven cores, and the only logical solution for that problem is eradication of humanity, or not playing the game in the first place.

A simplified example of such problem was shown in a movie called “War Games”, in which an AI driven “tactical computer" named “WOPPER” “decided” to play a game of global thermonuclear war.

Same thing with the good old “Dr. Strangelove”, in which the Soviets developed an automated “doomsday machine” which automatically released a retaliatory nuclear strike in case of American surprise attack.

In fact, USSR did develop various projects of massive scale, one of them being the “dead hand”, which specifically focused on relaying the orders for retaliatory strikes in case of decapitating strike by USA.

On that note not to long ago Israel announced that they implemented an AI driven defense system which will automatically release their nuclear arsenal even if entire Israel is destroyed by a nuclear strike.

All this is o longer a hypothetical scenario or Hollywood movies, this is happening as we speak and right in front of our eyes.

Welcome to the brave new world everybody, and as it stands, human kind is literally inventing it self out of existence.

Interesting, I have to agree with some parts of it. I think the reason it doesn't get "as much" attention on these boards is because although it exists, the average person doesnt see it developing so fast. However when you place the technological advanced of robotics on a timeline the proof speaks for itself.

The idea of AI being the destruction of the human race has been written about and performed in hollywood for ages. The move iRobot was a great recent one, perhaps a little far fetched, but fun to watch

However, even though this threat has become more aparent over the years we still have not seen an actual attack due to AI. Im not sure if there ever was a mistake one of small scale, but I cant think of any. Maybe this is the reason that we as society don't take is as serious (or atleast the ATS society) as say.. an alien invasion, or even brown dwarf crashing into earth



[edit on 27-2-2008 by samureyed]

yea i'm really just not comfortable with us getting robots to do our evil for us. robots could have so many better potential applications, yet war will likely be at the top of the list and the driving force behind developing highly advanced A.I..

The Chinese are going to use 'Anti-riot Robots' at the Olympics!

Hmmmn! I wonder how that works!

Airport police have already been equipped with X-ray machines, anti-riot robots, and some bomb detection and disposal devices, Zhang said.

Source: nbcsports.msnbc.com...

also: (a pic!)

zedomax.com...

Don't look like robocop!

H

reply to post by iskander


Oh, I think its coming...

but as someone who studied electronics and has dabbled in robotics, the AI and power requirements to allow robots to operate completely autonomously in a truly reliable and functional way is simply not there yet, they are still too fragile, too 'stupid' too complicated and too expensive.

at the end of the day, when the batteries run out, the robot dies.

The below video was created by a fellow member. He bases this video off of quotes primarily from DARPA and pentagon officials.

DARPA's iXo Artificial Intelligence Control Grid: 'The Official Version'

Google Video Link

"Transforming the network from a weapons support system into a weapon itself, that is the thread that runs through the programs that we pursue."
www.darpa.mil...

"we must enable the network to defend itself against those adversaries who seek to deny us the use of this valuable combat resource."
www.darpa.mil...
www.darpa.mil...

"This research thrust area will show automated cyber immune response and system regeneration. The technical approach will include biologically-inspired response strategies, machine learning, and cognitively-inspired proactive automatic contingency planning."
dtsn.darpa.mil...

It is all a part of modernizing the military. It is called "Full Spectrum Domination."

Here is an interesting article that talks about FCS, "future combat systems."

AI is already upon us.

[edit on 28-2-2008 by West Coast]

Oh boy...The very idea that robots will take over the world is just crazy. Think about it, one line of code and it becomes impossible. Robots only do what they are programmed to do. We tell them who to kill, when to kill, and who NOT to kill. The idea of a robot turning on humans all together is just silly. Besides, robots are too easily broken to last long in the battlefield.

"Robots only do what they are programmed to do. "

That was true 30 years ago, but modern AI software with neural networks, genetic algorithms etc can think up all sorts of things way beyond its 'programming'.

The question now is how much leeway you give an armed autonomous system in, say, distinguishing between soldiers and civilians.

At present, we like to keep a man in the loop -- but there aren't too many robots to control yet.

So when all the humans are killed or captured , what then? The robots will continue to patrol and keep peace in the planet till their batteries run out? Or will they be smart enough to recharge them . And then live happily ever after in their own built cities . What do you think ?

The fundamental problem with the “unmanned” concept is flawed not in its application, but in its inevitable evolution.

Planned unmanned systems focus on providing total area denial with out using any logistical or human resources.

As an example, the basic area denial weapon is a trap/mine.

With advances of AI, mines will no longer be dumb explosives with primitive detonators, but the entire concept of a land/water/air MOBILE reusable “mine” which can programmed to perform any given task remotely, or be driven by an AI core.

There are already “smart” mines which are a part of this total “unmanned” system.

Area denial always suffered form the fundamental flaw of restriction, and while these “new” systems are supposed to create a measure of control which will enable a commander to literally control the access to the area with a push of a button, history clearly shows that countermeasures have always circumvented all such previous attempts.

On the future battlefield, unmanned systems will fight each other for positioning in the denial area, and will by default exclude human presence by default, just as mines.

But in this case, instead of inert dumb but deadly devices, this will be a battlefield of moving, flying, swimming “smart” weapons, which by the force of evolution will naturally evolve into progressively sophisticated, intelligent and independent systems, thus further excluding human presence on the very earth we all live on.

When mines are placed, they literally claim the territory and require immense resources to clear them out so the local population can reclaim the land. While with great effort that can eventually be accomplished, and while we are give assurances that new generation of “smart” mines will self or remote detonate after combat operations are over, the reality of such future is much bleaker, because the primary job of the next generation autonomous systems will be area control, which naturally involves either the control of human population within the area, or its explosion.

In such a way, ethnic or economical cleansing/control can be conducted remotely under any given political excuse or agenda, and such immense power already belongs not to governments but corporations that are in the business of developing and making such systems.

Such “unmanned” arms race will inevitably force creating of incredibly advanced AI cores which will be responsible of analyzing total combat performance of the entire system and all of its elements, and engineering next generations of systems based on the computed data.

Naturally the manufacturing of all such systems will be fully automated, thus creating a never ending and fully automated arms race.

Human military resources will naturally be redirected inwards, in order to maintain national, social and economic “stability”, while all of the dirty work is to be outsourced to the machines.

This is not science fiction or technophobia, it’s the officially stated American policy.

Even the Navy TV commercial clearly state “working every day to “unman” the battlefield.”

The problem is that weapons system automation issue is nothing new by far.

Soviet projects like “dead hand” is only one among many, yet all of them always kept a man in the loop, even if the systems were fully networked and fully automated.

In this new 21st century, with the public cold war nuclear standoff gone into history, localized automated tactical “solutions” like FCS are firmly on their way, and with their surveillance and attack capabilities their ultimate purpose is complete control over civilian population of the corporate colonies.

Their ultimate goal is to put an end to insurgency once and for all, which will allow unimpeded exploitation of any nation which is not technologically advanced enough to defend it self.

England is in the forefront of the ultimate social engineering experiment. England has the highest numbers of surveillance cameras per person in the world, and every single person is recorded hundreds of times per day.

Closed circuit cameras capture Britons hundreds of times each day

www.palmbeachpost.com...

How is this relevant to this topic? Simple, with the advance of AI video processing and pattern analyzing software, “unmanned” policeman are already in the pipeline, so yet another Hollywood movie is becoming a reality.
While the citizens of technologically advanced countries are already under constant surveillance by private corporations and are controlled by socio-economic weapons, the citizens of colonial countries are increasingly controlled by terror of automated killing machines, aka “unmanned weapons”.
This is not some distant sci-fi future or some silly movie, this has already been happening for a decade.

The desired effect of the unmanned weapon use is to create a more efficient means to terrorize while minimizing own losses, and it works simply because on one side the loss is measured only in manufacturing resources, while the other is measured in blood and suffering.
Burning or bulldozing houses into the ground is crude and simply obsolete in comparison to a pinpoint strike from a UAV that’s patrolling the area 24/7, and automatically targets and engages upon receiving an automated order generated by an AI program which intercepted “insurgent” communication traffic from that very house.

reply to post by iskander


Quite interesting Mr.Iskander. You certainly defined it!

Reading your post, mixed with this discussion and its very implications on mankind, made me think of the movie "I Robot." The AI becomes so advanced that, it becomes self aware, and is able to control all the other "robotic" factors to its very advantage.

The problem I see is, this...This all is what is being developed for the military (with certain elements already out in the public forefront even today), and if certain "check points" are not installed, we could all be in for what could quite possibly be best defined as a "very rude awakening."

I do not need to say that, using intelligent AI to carry on our warmongering ways, could be quite ugly...We all already know this.

They say our technological progress, and knowledge doubles every 4-7 years. Many think that the technological singularity could take place in as early as 2030. Interesting times are upon us...

reply to post by West Coast


Mr. West Coast, you are indeed correct, technological singularity is a reality.

This is why I don’t like wiki though;

Critics of Kurzweil's interpretation consider it an example of static analysis, citing particular failures of the predictions of Moore's Law. The Singularity also draws criticism from anarcho-primitivism and environmentalism advocates.

“Moore’s Law” is not a law at all, it’s a business model, thus the partial theory failures, while technological singularity has nothing to do with market economy.