Robotic War Ships

[ZenGum]

Originally Posted by mem

Autonomous killing machines.
And there were those who complain about contractors and non-military targets. Computers have poor judgment at best when making self determining decisions , and giving them the power of life and death is an overstretched delegation of power. Furthermore, human life is far too precises not to be taken without remorse.
This will end well, just like the movies.

Welcome to the Cellar, Mem!

I am also worried about this issue. Haven't these fools seen any science fiction movies? The robots always turn on us. Why the hell are we arming them?

But seriously, malfunction, mis-identification, poor programming ... there is so much that can go wrong.
I guess the appeal is the hope that there will be fewer flag-draped coffins. But the other side is that pollies will find it easier to go to war.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by ZenGum

But seriously, malfunction, mis-identification, poor programming ... there is so much that can go wrong.

Even when they are programmed well, operator error will always sneak in.

From today's Washington Post:

NTSB Cites Lax Safety Controls, Pilot Error in Ariz. Drone Crash

By Del Quentin Wilber
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, October 17, 2007; Page A05

Sophisticated computer systems on a 10,000-pound unmanned drone were no match for its pilot's failure to follow a checklist when confronted with a computer glitch.

The mistake set off a chain of events that led the $6.5 million Predator-B to smash into the Arizona desert near Nogales, Ariz., the National Transportation Safety Board concluded yesterday. The NTSB also cited poor oversight by Customs and Border Protection officials as a factor in the April 2006 crash.

It was the first accident involving an unmanned vehicle that the NTSB investigated, and board members said they hoped their findings would prod government officials and the industry to regulate the growing use of drones in civil airspace.

[xoxoxoBruce]

The sky is falling... it really is.

[ZenGum]

Originally Posted by glatt

Even when they are programmed well, operator error will always sneak in.

Worse, these unmanned ships aren't drones (which have operators back at base) but rather are autonomous. They make their own decisions, without a human in the loop. Which, when they also have firepower, gives a whole new level of meaning to "the blue screen of death".

It also occurs to me, that they'd make great scapegoats for when things go wrong. "A military spokesman acknowledged the deaths of the 800 civilians, but explained that it was due to a series of mis-identifications by battle-bots. No one is to blame, and no-one can or will be charged. Nevertheless, we regret the incident..."

[Flint]

Originally Posted by ZenGum

It also occurs to me, that they'd make great scapegoats for when things go wrong. "A military spokesman acknowledged the deaths of the 800 civilians, but explained that it was due to a series of mis-identifications by battle-bots. No one is to blame, and no-one can or will be charged. Nevertheless, we regret the incident..."

Holy Shit.

[mem]

Originally Posted by Flint

Holy Shit.

This level of disregard of human life can only be described as evil.

[Griff]

Originally Posted by ZenGum

But seriously, malfunction, mis-identification, poor programming ... there is so much that can go wrong.
I guess the appeal is the hope that there will be fewer flag-draped coffins. But the other side is that pollies will find it easier to go to war.

How about a bin Laden type getting control of an unmanned weapon? Let the West make the capital investment and do the building, all he has to do is crack the security...

[ZenGum]

Good point Griff.
At one level it wouldn't apply. If the machine really is autonomous, then there is no "controller" and so no bad guy can "take control" of it, in an on-the-battlefield sense.
But what they must have is high-level control, such as being told to eliminate enemy in a given area, much as orders would be given to a human soldier. Yeah, if the enemy (whoever they be) can find a way to hack that security, and start giving them orders ... oooohhh nasty scenario.