Synthesis/Analysis Essay

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Scientists give warning of new arms race The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, Australia). (Aug. 10, 2015) Reading Level (Lexile): 1490. COPYRIGHT 2015 Fairfax Media Publications Pty Limited

Full Text: Byline: Adam Turner

Autonomous killing machines will make it easier for countries to go to war and could fall into the wrong hands, according to scientists studying artificial intelligence.

Alarmed at the prospect of another global arms race, more than 200 researchers into artificial intelligence and robotics have signed an open letter calling for an international ban on artificial intelligence in warfare. The ban is aimed at fully autonomous killing machines rather than "smart" weapons such as cruise missiles and drones, which rely on human controllers.

Artificial intelligence could be deployed on the battlefield within several years, researchers warn - leading to a third revolution in warfare after gunpowder and nuclear arms. While mass-produced robotic soldiers could be portrayed as a way to reduce human casualties on the battlefield, they would also lower the threshold for going to war and thus see an escalation in conflict.

Like many scientists before them, researchers into artificial intelligence are concerned about the potential for their work to be misused. Their call for a ban on autonomous killing machines follows agreements prohibiting chemical and biological weapons, along with treaties banning space-based nuclear weapons and blinding laser weapons.

Scientists fear autonomous weapons could become "the Kalashnikovs of tomorrow", in reference to cheap and reliable automatic rifles such as the AK-47, which are popular in war-torn countries. Were cheap autonomous weapons to become as prolific, it would only be a matter of time until they appeared on the black market and in the hands of terrorists, dictators and warlords.

"Starting a military AI arms race ... should be prevented by a ban on offensive autonomous weapons beyond meaningful human control," the open letter says.

CAPTION(S):PHOTO: Mikhail Kalashnikov holds his famed AK-47, widely used in war-torn countries.

Adam Turner

Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition) "Scientists give warning of new arms race." Sydney Morning Herald [Sydney, Australia], 10 Aug. 2015, p. 9. Opposing Viewpoints In

Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A424783464/OVIC?u=txshracd2500&sid=OVIC&xid=68740b09. Accessed 16 Apr. 2018.

Gale Document Number: GALE|A424783464