A former journalist claimed that military robots
killed 29 people in a lab in Japan.
It may seem bizarre, but a robot apocalypse isn’t just limited to science fiction movies
anymore.
The development and creation of lethal autonomous weapons have raised concerns about the potential
threat that Artificial Intelligence could pose to humanity.
Elon Musk has long warned of the potential danger of AI.
As we head toward a future where machines are making life-or-death decisions, the question
remains: is it ever acceptable for a machine to kill a human?
And who would bear the accountability?
Picture this; you wake up one day, make yourself a cup of coffee, then sit down to read the
news, and the first headline you come across is of military robots turning on their creators
and killing 29 people in a lab.
No, this isn't the plot of a science-fiction movie, but rather a chilling reality that
took place at a top robotics company in Japan.
Well, according to a former journalist turned UFOlogist, Linda Moulton Howe, it happened
like that.
She brought this story to light in a speech back in 2018, and it's making headlines once
again.
It's important to note that the story is unsubstantiated and likely fake.
The whole theory is based on a phone call the former journalist had with a “supposed”
CIA agent who told her, “This is serious s—t, Linda, but you’re not going to hear
about this in the news.”
It’s been years and no one has been able to corroborate it.
Some media outlets suggest that it may have been fabricated to generate attention for
Howe’s conspiracy theories.
However, the concept of autonomous killer robots is not entirely far-fetched.
In fact, in Libya in 2020, there were reports of AI-equipped drones being used to target
and attack fleeing militias.
It's pretty wild to think about, but apparently, this new Turkish quadcopter drone, called
KAARGU2, can find, track, and even kill human targets on its own using facial recognition
and AI.
The thing is, the UN report actually referred to these drones as "autonomous killer weapons",
programmed to attack targets without requiring an operator to communicate with them.
So, basically, they were like killer robots.
While we may not be in imminent danger of a robot uprising, such advancements in technology
are certainly a cause for concern.
Entrepreneur Elon Musk has long warned of the potential threat that AI could pose to
humanity.
Talking about artificial intelligence, Musk once said, “As AI gets probably much smarter
than humans, the relative intelligence ratio is probably similar to that between a person
and a cat, maybe bigger.
I do think we need to be very careful about the advancement of AI.”
Lethal autonomous weapons are no longer just a plot device in science fiction movies like
Terminator or RoboCop.
In fact, they're already in use.
The Samsung SGR-A1 sentry gun, deployed along the South Korean border, is reportedly capable
of firing autonomously.
Meanwhile, BAE Systems' Taranis drone, which can carry intercontinental air-to-air and
air-to-ground ordnance and incorporate full autonomy, is being developed in the UK.
And it's not just drones - Russia and the US are also developing robotic tanks that
can operate remotely or autonomously.
But as we head towards a future where machines are making life-or-death decisions, the question
remains: is it ever okay for a machine to kill a human?
We know that militaries around the world are pouring billions of dollars into creating
autonomous weapons that can operate without human intervention.
For instance, the US alone spent around $18 billion on autonomous weapons between 2016
and 2020.
But while this technology may seem impressive, it's also incredibly dangerous.
Without proper regulation, experts warn that these weapons could destabilize global nuclear
strategies and increase the risk of preventative attacks.
Human rights organizations are working tirelessly to prevent the development of these disruptive
machines, but will they succeed before it's too late?
Imagine it yourself: a machine designed to make life-and-death decisions, with no human
intervention or oversight.
That's the reality of autonomous weapons, and it's a growing concern for military experts
and human rights advocates alike.
These machines have no conscience, and no sense of right or wrong.
And, as studies have shown, even the most advanced algorithms can make catastrophic
errors that spread quickly across populations.
For instance, a neural network used in a Pittsburgh hospital mistakenly identified asthma as a
risk-reducer in pneumonia cases, and Google's image recognition software classified African
Americans as gorillas.
Bizarre, right?
Similarly, Amazon's machine-learning tool systematically assigned negative scores to
women who applied for jobs.
These algorithmic errors not only affect individuals but entire populations, and their makers often
struggle to understand why they occurred and how to fix time.
This "black box" problem of AI is what makes it almost impossible to create autonomous
weapons systems that are morally responsible.
Now picture this for a second: a war crime has been committed, but there is no human
culprit to be found.
The perpetrator?
An autonomous weapon.
The question is, who takes the blame?
Is it the weapon itself, the soldier operating it, the commanding officers, or perhaps the
corporation responsible for its creation?
The lack of clear answers to these questions has experts in international law and non-governmental
organizations deeply concerned about the potential accountability gap created by autonomous weapons.
No Just imagine the scenario: one to hold accountable.
It's like the perfect crime.
This would severely weaken the laws of war and their power to deter war crimes.
We need regulations that mandate meaningful human control of autonomous weapons before
it's too late.
Elon Musk is one of the leading opposers of armed automated robots.
2023 kicked off with a bang as, after the launch of ChatGPT, people around the world
were buzzing with excitement over the potential of artificial intelligence.
But while many were caught up in the hype, Musk had a sober warning: without proper safety
measures in place, AI could be our undoing.
And he's not talking about the Terminator movies – he means serious harm to humanity.
It might seem strange that someone who has done so much for technological innovation
would be skeptical about AI, but Musk has always been clear that we need regulations
to keep it in check.
He's even gone so far as to say that AI is a greater threat to civilization than nuclear
weapons.
At a speech in Dubai, Musk reiterated his concerns about the lack of safety protocols
for AI.
He compared it to the way we have regulations in place for seatbelts in cars and medical
procedures, acknowledging the potential for harm that comes with new technologies.
It's not just talk, either.
Musk helped found OpenAI to help ensure that humans have a say in the development of AI.
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Elon Musk isn't the only one sounding the alarm about the dangers of killer robots.
A group of 116 brilliant minds from 26 different countries, including Elon Musk and Alphabet's
Mustafa Suleyman, are banding together to urge the United Nations to put an end to the
development and use of killer robots . And they're not just blowing hot air: the UN recently
voted to begin formal discussions on these killer bots, which could include everything
from drones to tanks to automated machine guns.
The founders of AI and robotics companies have penned an open letter to the UN, warning
that the "third revolution in warfare" could be just around the corner if we don't act
now.
The potential harm of autonomous weapons is not just a figment of imagination; some experts
believe that killer robots could be deployed within the next few years, not decades.
While AI could be used to make battlefields safer for military personnel, experts fear
that offensive weapons operating on their own could result in even greater loss of innocent
human life.
It's not just the tech leaders who are concerned about this, but also professors like Toby
Walsh, a leading expert on AI.
He acknowledges that technology has the potential to do great good, from solving inequality
and poverty to addressing climate change and financial crises.
But he also recognizes that we need to make a choice about the future we want: one where
AI is used for good, or one where autonomous weapons systems are allowed to flourish and
eventually take over.
Ryan Gariepy, the founder of Clearpath Robotics, echoed these concerns.
He stated that, unlike other manifestations of AI that are still in the realm of science
fiction, autonomous weapons are already being developed and pose a very real threat to innocent
people and global stability.
It's time for us to take proactive measures to regulate AI before it's too late.
As Musk has repeatedly warned, AI poses a significant threat to humanity if left unchecked,
and we need to listen to smart people like him.
We have the power to decide whether we want AI to help us solve the world's pressing problems,
or whether we want it to industrialize war and cause harm to innocent people.
Do you think automated weapons and killer robots should be allowed to dominate the battlefield?
Let us know in the comments!
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