New report calls for ban on 'killer robots' amid U.N. meeting

[Rocky C]

UNITED NATIONS — Technology allowing a pre-programmed robot to shoot to kill, or a tank to fire at a target with no human involvement, is only years away, experts say. A new report called Monday for a ban on such "killer robots."

The report by Human Rights Watch and the Harvard Law School International Human Rights Clinic was released as the United Nations kicked off a week-long meeting on such weapons in Geneva.


The report calls for humans to remain in control over all weapons systems at a time of rapid technological advances. It says that requiring humans to remain in control of critical functions during combat, including the selection of targets, saves lives and ensures that fighters comply with international law.

"Machines have long served as instruments of war, but historically humans have directed how they are used," said Bonnie Docherty, senior arms division researcher at Human Rights Watch, in a statement. "Now there is a real threat that humans would relinquish their control and delegate life-and-death decisions to machines."

Some have argued in favor of robots on the battlefield, saying their use could save lives.


But last year, more than 1,000 technology and robotics experts — including scientist Stephen Hawking, Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak — warned that such weapons could be developed within years, not decades.

In an open letter, they argued that if any major military power pushes ahead with development of autonomous weapons, "a global arms race is virtually inevitable, and the endpoint of this technological trajectory is obvious: autonomous weapons will become the Kalashnikovs of tomorrow."

According to the London-based organization Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, the United States, China, Israel, South Korea, Russia, and Britain are moving toward systems that would give machines greater combat autonomy. Human Rights Watch is a co-founder of the organization.

The U.N. meeting of experts on the issue, chaired by Germany, continues talks that took place in April 2015 and May 2014.

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[Mongoose]

I'm all for it. At least robots wouldn't have to show respect to the azzholes they kill. We could even put them on our borders, programmed to kill anything that moves toward the U.S. border. Better still, we could use them to quell riots by radical blacks and muslims.

[Tennessee Top]

I'm all for it too. But our bleeding-heart liberal politicians will never go for such a thing. They don't even want us humans having automatic weapons let alone killer robots. Would be cool to unleash a platoon of them on ISIS though. Drones dropping bombs on their heads, and killer robots hunting them down on the ground! Better still, put skirts, halter tops, and lipstick on the robots so they look like females!! RAH!!!

[Mongoose]

That's great Top......in the middle east we could disguise them as goats.

[oldtop]

first things first.... program them to get rid of all of the politicians first, the rest will simply fall into place naturally.... although I do believe that some folks are watching too much "terminator"... SKYNET IS WATCHING......

[Rocky C]

Terminator ??? Sarah Conners is soooooo HOT !!! LOL. Sorry, hahahaha


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