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ELON MUSK IS leading demands for a global ban on killer robots, warning that technological advances could revolutionise warfare and create new “weapons of terror” that target innocent people.
The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX joined more than 100 robotics and artificial intelligence entrepreneurs in signing a letter to the United Nations (UN) calling for action to prevent the development of autonomous weapons.
“Lethal autonomous weapons threaten to become the third revolution in warfare,” warned the statement signed by 116 tech luminaries, also including Mustafa Suleyman, cofounder of Google’s DeepMind.
“Once developed, they will permit armed conflict to be fought at a scale greater than ever, and at timescales faster than humans can comprehend,” the letter reads.
The innovators also highlighted that the technology could fall into the wrong hands.
“These can be weapons of terror, weapons that despots and terrorists use against innocent populations, and weapons hacked to behave in undesirable ways,” the letter reads.
We do not have long to act. Once this Pandora’s box is opened, it will be hard to close.
Both Musk and British astrophysicist Stephen Hawking have regularly warned of the dangers of artificial intelligence (AI).
Melbourne conference
The renewed plea on autonomous weapons was released as the International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Melbourne gets underway today, with a record 2,000 of the world’s top AI and robotics experts taking part, organisers said.
One expert said autonomous weapons could make war more likely.
“Today the potential loss of human life is a deterrent for conflict initiation and escalation, but when the main casualties are robots, the disincentives change dramatically and the likelihood of conflict increases,” Professor Mary-Anne Williams of the University of Technology Sydney said.
She warned a killer robot ban may be disregarded by some nations but would stop “countries such as Australia from developing defensive killer robots, thereby being vulnerable to other countries and groups that ignore the ban”.
Another expert said decisions made today would help shape the “futures we want”.
“Nearly every technology can be used for good and bad, and artificial intelligence is no different,” Professor Toby Walsh of the University of New South Wales said.
Organisers said the conference, which concludes on Friday, has attracted a record number of participants from China, reflecting a push by Beijing to become a leading player in the field.
A key focus of the event will be looking at the challenges of developing fully autonomous AI systems, programme chair Carles Sierra of the Spanish National Research Council said.
A UN group on autonomous weapons had been due to meet today but the gathering was postponed until November, according to the group’s website. In 2015, thousands of researchers and personalities launched an appeal to ban autonomous weapons.
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This is actually a serious issue. We will not reach an AI level similar to a human until about 2030. But they say once we reached that it will have super intelligence (thats a real term btw) by 2035 as it would self improve. By then, it could control anything using software, which is most things now, and almost everything then. At that point, the AI can do with humans as it pleases. That is the moment when humanity may cease to exist, and if we make a bunch of killer robots, we pretty much make the weapons that may kill us.
AI WILL come into existence, the question is what will we do before that happens, as our future might well be brought into question.
@Andy K: Not surprised one bit. My microwave has been giving me evils lately.
@Andy K: just wait till there’s a twenty or thirty million armed robots out there and someone gives the access permissions to the AI that looks at global warming and population levels. No bother, boss, I’ll sort that in a jiffy.
@Greg Blake: The AI musk is talking about doesnt work on ‘permissions’. A sentient AI would bypass all forms of software security in an instant. It would not concern itself over population levels, as it is not human. It may want to remove population entirely though, especially if humans try to force control.
PS: The planet can support a much, much larger population than now. However, the planet cannot survive much more Exploitation. Thats the problem.
We don’t need killer robots we are doing a great job ourselves.
Weren’t twi facebook AI’s found to be communicating in a language they developed themselves
@Daithí Uí Ciarmhaic: Yep, they shut that down real quick
@Stephen Devlin: http://www.snopes.com/facebook-ai-developed-own-language/ But you can make a good case that the truth is even more scary.
James Cameron called it in 1984. Listen to the Titanic man people.
“We’re all doomed I tell you doomed, ” Frasier dad’s army.
@Gerard Heery: best comedy series ever.
So…… no ED209 then?
@Simon Moore: he was shite anyway. Stairwells a serious problem.
@Simon Moore: You have 5 seconds to comply…
@Simon Moore: More like no skynet.
@theupsidedown: same problem for the Daleks, still got a bit uppity every so often.
The human demand for power and wealth will make sure this technology will be available much sooner than we think,its a no brainer .
for those interested in this topic, look into Kurzweil’s singularity; and Nick Bostrom’s (amazingly depressing) lectures. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pywF6ZzsghI
@John Conroy: Kurzweil has lost his marbles I fear. He’s gone completely off the rational end into pseudo-science and digital immortality. As for Bostrom – while very depressing; he is right and I have alot of time for the man. AI is far or of a threat than terrorism or the Koreans North; even ‘The Donald’ pales in comparison to the potential of uncontrolled automation and its the military that are driving this.
Not a tinfoil merchant by any means but we all really should be worried!
@Ciaran Henry: I haven’t been keeping up with Kurzweil’s recent talks: I must check out what he’s been saying. He’s got a handy number now working for Google.
I’m convinced my hoover is out to get me…
@Ian Walsh: sounds like you could be dyson with death
Have these muppets never watched Terminator???
Agree with this 10000000%
Elon Musk, does it come as a roll on, or spray only.?
AI community don’t care. It’s full steam ahead with the AI race to build the most sentient being possible
Issac Asimov – the first law of robotics A robot may not harm a human being or through inaction allow a human being come to harm
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