Lynn C. Woolsey: “There was an article in The Washington Post earlier this week that we should all find very unsettling and disturbing. We…”

“There was an article in The Washington Post earlier this week that we should all find very unsettling and disturbing. We know that in recent years the Pentagon has increasingly used unmanned drone aircraft to carry out violent acts of war. And frankly, that's bad enough. But now there's a new and even more frightening technology in the works. It's called ``lethal autonomy.'' And under the system, the drones would no longer be remotely operated and controlled by actual human beings. The lethal autonomy drones would be computer programmed to carry out their deadly mission independently. No human hand providing steering and guidance. I can't even begin to wrap my head around the humanitarian red flags associated with this experiment in robotics. Software can break down. It could even be hacked. Furthermore, computers don't have a conscience. They aren't nimble, they can't make snap decisions based on new information or ethical considerations. They're programmed to do what they do without judgment, discretion, or scruples. You can just imagine, or I can anyway, mass civilian atrocities thanks to a robot drone raging out of control. Thankfully, a group called the International Committee for Robot Arms Control is speaking up and making these points. Pointing out that if we have a treaty banning land mines, why not one that outlaws these automatic killer drones. According to the Post, the military has begun to grapple with the implications of this technology.…”