Over the ages, war has always been a general theme in human existence. Conquering land and the exertion of power is still an appealing action in the heads of several leaders. Possible factors in the past which reduced the chance on starting a war were for example a lack of funding or manpower. Since the 90s robots are developing fast in becoming useful helpers in our daily lives (Allison, 2019). They are used in stores and can help elderly (Price, 2019). All good news, one might argue. This is true, but robots can also be helpful in situations where humans prefer not to participate in, like wars. As a result of this increase in robotics it is possible that robotic warfare will be common for us in the future. Robots can be a good substitute to combatants. For example, missile equipped drones can be effective alternatives to fighter jets (Atherton, 2017). This change in warfare will cause several problems for possible future combats which cannot be underestimated.
The first problem is that a person is able to identify and empathize with another human being (Human Rights Watch, 2012). Robots are not well developed in the emotional domain. This lack of a natural ‘brake’ on military action can result in dangerous behavior. Uncontrollability can also occur in case of a software bug/hack or technical problem. The second problem regarding killer robots is that it is hard to point out who is responsible for their actions. This could be the military commander who controls the robot, the programmer, the manufacturer or the robot itself. Therefore, it is important that a worldwide agreement is created to assign responsibility to the robot based on international humanitarian laws and the rules of engagement.
In the Law of International Armed Conflict is noted that an attack needs to be proportional and specific (Human Rights Watch, 2012). Implementing Artificial Intelligence (AI) in these robots can partially help to achieve this goal. But it is important to test the modifications after implementation to reduce the number of possible errors. Yet, it is almost impossible to expect that one can program all possible scenarios in a robot. It will also be difficult to assign human qualities to technology. There is a chance that the level of AI is (intentionally) going to fall behind the development of new attack features.
The third problem is that robotic battles are easier to start than contemporary warfare because there is no big need for human soldiers anymore. This can be financially and politically attractive for countries because one can defend that less military personnel encounters the risk to get killed. However, this may lower the threshold for starting more warfare.
Finally, one can tell that robots and conflicts are a difficult combination. Creating clear rules and guidelines should be the start of this new military phase. Developing thoroughly tested combat gear is step two. I hope that this large-scale development will lead to less conflicts and human victims in the future.
Hi Miro,
Thanks for your post, interesting read! I can think of two other reasons why we have to be really careful and thoughtful about this technology
The first being the risk of a drone getting compromised or hacked. As we have seen in history, nothing is unhackable (for example, nuclear facilities with the Stuxnet Worm). What if a malicious actor gets access to the drones data, or full control? What if a downed drone by the enemy gets repaired and rebooted with slightly different configurations?
Another big disadvantage I see is the disappearance of humanity in war if we use drones (and other robots).War is bad for everyone, but how can you have empathy for your enemy if you are controlling or overseeing an attack drone from miles or even continents away? Harming people is much easier if you can’t look them in the eye and see what kind of situation your enemy is in. I always hope that even in times of conflict, people can place themselves in the shoes of another. With robotic warfare, this will become a lot harder.
Hi Bart,
Thank you for your contribution to my post. Both problems are indeed a challenge for the future, especially regarding unstable governments. I think that strict international rules are needed to guide this development in the ‘right’ direction. However, it is known that agreements and war are not always a flawless combination..