In light of the 911 attacks on New York and Washington, and the subsequent terror atrocities committed against destinations around the world, seeds of paranoia have been successfully planted when it comes to trusting the stranger next to you on the subway, aircraft, or bus.
However, when it comes to future acts of terrorism, a leading technology expert offers that suicide bombers could well be replaced by autonomous robots within the next ten years.
According to Professor Noel Sharkey of the University of Sheffield’s Department of Computer Science, international research in unmanned military systems will see countries like the US, Russia, China and Israel turning to battle robots rather than conventional soldiers.
It is Prof. Sharkey’s belief that robotic technology will inevitably spill over into terrorist circles and that, with component costs always falling, any such equipment developed by military powers would be replicated cheaply by terror groups.
In terms of cost, the professor offers that terrorists could probably create an improvised GPS-equipped model aeroplane for around $500 USD, which would then be used to deliver an explosive payload without requiring the hijacking of an airliner or the training of suicide pilots.
“You could also make thousands of ground-based robots cheaply to replace suicide bombers,” said Prof. Sharkey in a Telegraph report. “Once the new weapons are out there, they will be fairly easy to copy. How long is it going to be before the terrorists get in on the act?”
Outlining the urgency for the international community to address the related risks associated with autonomous military systems filtering into the hands of terrorists, the professor claims military forces are fast approaching the point where robots will be able to make potentially lethal battlefield decisions that would not necessarily factor in vitally important human traits such as conscience, logic, or consequence.
The Telegraph reports that the US Department of Defense has published a 25-year plan to invest some $23 billion USD on robotic systems for air, sea, and land.
View blog reactions
There are currently no comments for this article. Be the first to comment! (no registration required)
Advertising
There are currently no comments for this article. Be the first to comment! (no registration required)