There’s a frightening debate going on in scientific circles that could indicate that scientists are on the verge of creating a real-life terminator or killer robot. Experts are now debating something called a Lethal Autonomous Robot, which has usability as a war machine.
terminator-robot-mitThe LAR is a real-life terminator—a robot that can make the decision to kill or attack on its own without human intervention. Today’s drones are little more than more sophisticated versions of a remote controlled airplane, and are controlled and directed by human operators using radio signals and computers.
Unlike today’s drones, reports say the LAR would be able to make decisions on its own. Instead of being controlled, it would simply leave for the battlefield, perform its mission, and return. The LAR would operate much like the Terminator robots from the movies; it would be sent out to perform missions. Interestingly, the technology has been announced just after drones disguised as birds were discussed on record.
LETHAL AUTONOMOUS ROBOT
It isn’t clear if the military or the CIA is actually developing a LAR, yet some statements by Purdue University professor Samuel Liles are quite chilling. From Liles’ statements, it is obvious that some people in Washington think a terminator would be a good thing.
It isn’t clear if the military or the CIA is actually developing a LAR, yet some statements by Purdue University professor Samuel Liles are quite chilling. From Liles’ statements, it is obvious that some people in Washington think a terminator would be a good thing.
“A lethal autonomous robot can aim better, target better, select better, and in general be a better asset,” Liles told The National Journal. In other words, there’s no human being involved that can question orders or refuse to carry out a potentially unethical mission. Liles admitted that one of the terminator’s advantages is that it would be “less emotional.”
Another reason why the military industrial complex likes the idea of a LAR is that it would be far harder to hack. Once the terminator was dispatched on its mission, it wouldn’t receive any signals from base, which is important when considering the fact that U.S. drones have been hacked in the past.
Academics and policy makers discussing killer robots as a necessary new technology that could be used domestically is quite bothersome. It shows that yet another horror long considered to be science fiction may soon exist in the real world.
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