Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science

Six major tech companies pledge not to weaponize AI, but will politicians follow their lead?

With AI and robots becoming increasingly capable, such pledges are more and more important.

Alexandru Micu by Alexandru Micu
October 11, 2022
in News, Robotics, Science, Tech, Technology

Are you ready and excited for the human-robot war? Well, Boston Dynamics and five other robotics companies aren’t. Together, they have signed an open letter warning of the dangers of weaponizing robots and software.

Image via Pixabay.

This document enshrines a pledge from six leading tech firms — with Agility Robotics, ANYbotics, Clearpath Robotics, Open Robotics, and Unitree signing alongside Boston Dynamics — not to weaponize their creations. The pledge underscores the potential dangers of applying cutting-edge robotics, computing, and data-processing technologies towards warfare, not only to armed combatants, but to humanity as a whole.

No terminators

“Untrustworthy people could use [weaponized robots] to invade civil rights or to threaten, harm, or intimidate others,” the letter explains. “We believe that adding weapons to robots that are remotely or autonomously operated, widely available to the public, and capable of navigating to previously inaccessible locations where people live and work, raises new risks of harm and serious ethical issues.”

The letter’s pledge extends to “advanced-mobility general-purpose robots”, as well as the software that drives them. The six companies also said they will take steps to ensure that customers don’t weaponize their products either — although exactly how this will be achieved is yet to be determined.

Despite their hard stance on the issue, the letter explains that the signatories don’t have any issue with “existing technologies” that governments use to “defend themselves and uphold their laws.”

These include products such as Boston Dynamics’ Spot — a dog-like robot — that police and fire departments use in hazardous situations. Although the robot can and should play a part in these fields, Boston Dynamics explains that it is not designed for surveillance, nor to replace police officers. The decision to use force and its application should not be given over to a machine.

It is safe to say that most people today do not like the idea of autonomous weapon systems. Such devices operate on their own without any human supervision and can use lethal force if and when their software deems it appropriate. The recent developments from the Ukraine war, where civilian drones are being retrofitted into anti-tank and anti-personnel grenade delivery systems, are a reminder of just how easily modern tech can be turned to warmaking — and how effective it can be. Adding in artificial intelligence and high-mobility robotic bodies would only compound the destructive potential of such weapons.

This isn’t the first time scientists or engineers have warned about the immense threat weaponized robots can pose to humanity. Back in 2015, Elon Musk, Steve Wozniak, and the titan of science Stephen Hawking added their name to a very long list of researchers and engineers calling for a worldwide ban on the development of “offensive autonomous weapons”. Musk has since embarked on further efforts to protect humanity from destruction at the hands of AI.

Although the open letter from these companies is commendable and echoes public and academic sentiment across the planet, politics doesn’t seem to ring to its tune. A meeting of the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons last year didn’t reach a consensus on banning weaponized robots mostly due to objections from countries that are already working on developing such machines — including the U.S, the UK, and Russia.

Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Related posts:
  1. Mayors against Trump: 257 mayors representing 59 million Americans pledge to follow Paris Agreement
  2. Past High Tech, Future Low Tech: Mechanical Calculator Gallery
  3. New software allows researchers to control what politicians are saying
  4. It’s becoming abundantly clear that politicians don’t understand encryption, and this is a problem
  5. Six big pharmaceutical companies accused of price fixing
Tags: artificial intelligencerobotwarweapons

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW