Seven of 2017’s freshest perspectives on nuclear weapons, biological threats, and more
A sampling of the year's best "Voices of Tomorrow" essays.
Search results for autonomous weapon
Neuro, cyber, slaughter: Emerging technological threats in 2017
Looking back at our best coverage in 2017 of emerging technological threats.
Rising experts at the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
In a time of growing global risk, it is more important than ever that rising leaders share their research, find their voices, and test their arguments to create a safer, healthier planet. In our Voices of Tomorrow section, the Bulletin proudly publishes the work of rising experts immersed in the issues central to our core interests—nuclear … Continued
New digital journal: Security at sea, and under it
In their article on China’s security agenda in the South China Sea, experts John Lewis and Xue Litai quote Chinese president Xi Jinping: “History and experience tell us that a country will rise if it commands the oceans well and will fall if it surrenders them.” This special issue of the Bulletin of the Atomic … Continued
US killer robot policy: Full speed ahead
The Defense Department's policy for autonomy in weapon systems may appear to reflect caution, but it allows the Pentagon to fund, test, buy, and use technology that could target and kill by machine decision.
Drink the Kool-Aid all you want, but don’t call AI an existential threat
Generative AI can wreak havoc in many ways but it’s not an existential threat any more than computer code is.
If a killer robot were used, would we know?
After a recent UN report suggested that a Turkish-made Kargu-2 had autonomously hunted down retreating troops in Libya, numerous media outlets devoted coverage to the issue of so-called lethal autonomous weapons. But much of the coverage misses an important point: It will be extremely difficult to verify if and when such a weapon is used.
Ban killer robots? How about defining them first?
There's a lot of talk about regulating autonomous weapons, but thoughtful, effective policy will be difficult to make if we can’t even agree on what they are
An expert collection on the military applications of AI
Over the course of this week, the Bulletin, in partnership with the Stanley Foundation, is publishing top experts on how to manage the explosion of military AI research and development around the world. Here’s what you need to know: The promise and peril of military applications of artificial intelligence Michael C Horowitz; @mchorowitz Published Monday, … Continued
Manifestos and open letters: Back to the future?
Why UN discussions on the management of lethal autonomous weapons need greater participation by the scientific and research communities and representatives of the private sector. Statements of alarm are not enough.
Meet the future weapon of mass destruction, the drone swarm
Drone swarms are getting larger and, coupled with autonomous capability, they could pose a real threat. Think “Nagasaki” to get a sense of the death toll a massive drone swarm could theoretically inflict.
“As much death as you want”: UC Berkeley’s Stuart Russell on “Slaughterbots”
If you never dreamed that toy-like drones from off the shelf at the big-box store could be converted—with a bit of artificial intelligence and a touch of shaped explosive—into face-recognizing assassins with a mission to terminate you—well, dream it.
AI and the future of warfare: The troubling evidence from the US military
US military officers can approve the use of AI-enhanced military technologies that they don't trust. And that's a serious problem.
Top US Army official: Build AI weapons first, then design safety
A top US Army official advocates for lethal autonomous weapons.
The promise and peril of military applications of artificial intelligence
The promise of AI—including its ability to improve the speed and accuracy of everything from logistics and battlefield planning to human decision making—is driving militaries around the world to accelerate research and development. Here’s why.
In Syria, Russia found the chance to showcase its swagger–and its robot weapons
The Syrian civil war gave Russia the chance to test and purportedly improve its robotic and autonomous weapons. Weapons makers showcased some of their products at a recent convention in Moscow.
Who’ll want artificially intelligent weapons? ISIS, democracies, or autocracies?
If you’re a dictator who can’t trust your own people in the military, you can still trust a machine to do your dirty work.
AI in war: Can advanced military technologies be tamed before it’s too late?
There is an urgency for countries to agree on common rules about the development, deployment, and use of emerging military tech in war.
The best of the roundtables, 2015
A choice selection of pieces from our Deveopment and Disarmament Roundtable series
From nuclear bombs to killer robots: how amoral technologies become immoral weapons
Powerful countries wield the rhetoric of imminent security threats to rationalize unjust uses of new military technologies.