Heather Roff and P.W. Singer put together a reflective post here about the "The Next President Will Decide the Fate of Killer Robots—and the Future of War". While the general public does not want to focus on the benefits of warfare with autonomous technology it is a reality that drives innovation and implementation into our common everyday use. The use of the revolutionary technology like GPS, drones and microwaves for example are a result of warfare inventions.
"The next President will have a range of issues on their plate, from how to deal with growing global tensions, but perhaps the most important decision they will make for overall history is what to do about autonomous weapons systems (AWS). The new president will literally have no choice. It is not just the technology is rapidly advancing, but because of a ticking time bomb buried in US policy on the issue."
"It sounds like science fiction to think that a president will have to wrestle with the idea of robots outside of direction human control taking on a combat role, but that is where the technology is headed. Just as we see the increasing use and acceptance of driverless cars, the same is playing out in the realm of war."
A recent study on the future of robotics concluded that "autonomy will deliver substantial operational value across an increasingly diverse array of DoD missions, but the DoD must move more rapidly to realize this value."
Autonomy and autonomous integration is a global effort that is moving at a fast pace. It is basically the next global race, "autonomy race", with countries around the globe. While many benefits will come out of artificial intelligence (AI) the US global policy should set the tone and direction for the world.
The U.S current policy terminates in 2017, which requires it to be renewed, amended or let lapse. The next elected president has a historic opportunity and responsibility to shape the future of robotics and war. As a nation this policy can support commercialization efforts and entrepreneurs in tandem.
We are at a pivot point in history as the industrial revolution 4.0 is happening now. What we do as a nation will determine our position in warfare, autonomous and robotic policies and most importantly for many of us the commercial application and efforts.
The future is bright and as I share with anyone that is willing to listen, we are alive during some exciting times. We are bearing witness to a transformation that in my eye rivals the wild west era of horse and buggy to the steam locomotive and vehicles. The difference this time is we are deep into Moore's Law.
Read original article at Wired.
