Slaughterbots

[Genivaria]

This Horrifying 'Slaughterbot' Video Is The Best Warning Against Autonomous Weapons
We feel sick after watching that.

We're on the verge of creating autonomous weapons that can kill without any help from humans. Thousands of experts are concerned about this - and the latest campaign effort against this tech is a chilling video demonstrating the kind of future we're heading for.

In the Slaughterbots short, which we've embedded below, swarms of AI-controlled drones carry out strikes on thousands of unprepared victims with targeted precision. What makes the clip so scary is that the scenario is entirely plausible.

The video starts with a spectacular press event where the technology is unveiled for the first time. The miniature drones are able to take out "the bad guys" – whoever they happen to be – without any collateral damage, nuclear weapons, or troops on the ground.

All the drone bots need is a profile: age, sex, fitness, uniform, and ethnicity.

Despite the applause that the tiny drones get at their unofficial unveiling, the tech behind them soon falls into the wrong hands, as it tends to do. Before long an attack is waged on the United States Capitol building, with only politicians from one particular party targeted.

The same bots are then used by an unknown group to take out thousands of students worldwide, all of whom shared the same human rights video on social media.

"The weapons took away the expense, the danger, and risk of waging war," says one of the talking heads in the clip, admitting that "anyone" can now carry out such a strike.

Thankfully this creepy video isn't real life – at least not yet.

It was published by the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, an international coalition looking to ban autonomous weapons, and was shown this week at the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.

The group wants the UN to pass legislation prohibiting the development of this kind of AI technology, and the large-scale manufacture of the associated hardware. Legislation could also be used to police anyone who tried to develop these kind of systems.

Worryingly, these are all technologies we already have, according to one of the experts behind the video, computer scientist Stuart Russell from the University of California, Berkeley – the only step remaining is for someone to miniaturise and combine them.

"I've worked in AI for more than 35 years," says Russell in the video. "Its potential to benefit humanity is enormous, even in defence, but allowing machines to choose to kill humans will be devastating to our security and freedom."

"Thousands of my fellow researchers agree. We have that opportunity to prevent the future you just saw, but the window to act is closing fast."

Experts including Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking have also warned about the rapid development of AI, and its use in weapons.

Computer systems are now able to pilot drones on their own, and recognise faces faster than human beings can. If they were also allowed to pull the trigger on a weapon without any human approval, scientists say, wars would rage at a speed and with a loss of life far greater than anything we've ever seen before.

Let's hope that this Slaughterbots video, and other initiatives to curb the development of AI-powered weaponry, prove enough to put a stop to this particular area of research.

Noel Sharkey, AI professor at Sheffield University in the UK, and chair of the International Committee on Robot Arms Control, has been warning about the dangers of autonomous weapons for a decade.

"It will only take one major war to unleash these new weapons with tragic humanitarian consequences and destabilisation of global security," he told The Guardian.

You can find out more about efforts to support a ban on the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots website.

Warning the video does contain graphic violence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HipTO_7mUOw

So autonomous killing robots are now a thing of the near future apparently and alot of people are perhaps justifiably concerned.
I'm not sure how plausible this scenario is myself but I can understand the response that this video has gotten.

Personally I actually enjoyed the 'press conference' bit but found the enthusiastic way the audience reacted to be...unlikely.

Any thoughts on the matter?
Is this a very real threat to us in the near future or is this more sensationalism about new technology?

[Darksworth]

As long as we don't give them the idea that the controlled must kill the controller then I think were good. Automated warfare is a great subsitute to one with Humans being used as the resource. Lesser casualties and our soldiers can go home to their families in one piece.

I'm just dissapointed that the short video itself is actually a film and not a real presentation for the future of war...

[Ifreann]

Murderbot is a much better name than Slaughterbot.

[Genivaria]

Murderbot is a much better name than Slaughterbot.

Murderbot. 3000?

[Genivaria]

As long as we don't give them the idea that the controlled must kill the controller then I think were good. Automated warfare is a great subsitute to one with Humans being used as the resource. Lesser casualties and our soldiers can go home to their families in one piece.

I'm just dissapointed that the short video itself is actually a film and not a real presentation for the future of war...

I think the bigger concern is keeping them out of the hands terrorists.
These (according to the scenario at least) seem far easier to transport without suspicion.

[Conserative Morality]

Pointless paranoia.

[Ifreann]

Murderbot is a much better name than Slaughterbot.

Murderbot. 3000?

As many as are necessary. *nods*

[The Empire of Pretantia]

Literally just a drone.

[Paddy O Fernature]

Pointless paranoia.

^ This.

[United Imperial Systems]

Pointless...
I don't know a material light enough to be carrier by such small bots that can penetrate walls, the battery life of these things is going to be horrible, a good way to avoid getting killed is pretend to be dead, and many many more ways why such robots would not be a good killing force.
Scary? Yes.
Plausible? Yes.
Likely? No.

[Ethel mermania]

Where is arhnold when we need him?

[Kenmoria]

There can be little doubt that at some point AIs will be able to do this. But I personally think there is virtually no chance of it actually happening for the next century.

[Neanderthaland]

We told them that copper tools would pave the way to their own destruction, but did they listen?

[Principality of the Raix]

While Artificial intelligence is becoming a thing of the near future, the fact people want to use robots for killing is nothing new with the various end of the world imaginative thoughts on the fact that robots may wipe us out. I think as far as robotics go, it is good that we are creating robots with A.I. However, we should limit them to that and command and orders. If we have the special and lack of thinking idea like hooking our military bots and drones to the A.G.I or Artificial General Intelligence, which we shouldn't or can not have. Or we would have a repeat of human slavery repeated with Robots, where the robots get the idea that they do not need us any more. Specially, if we are sending them to the battle field to be wrecked. So I think more research is needed, such as are these "murderbots" being hooked to the global hive mind; I guess one could claim at the end of the day, much like we intend to put all robots within in the near future.

[Principality of the Raix]

Likely? No.

The likeliness is growing more each day, the thing most people do not realize is this is our Forth Industrial revolution occurring right now. Being based around both robotics and humans as a whole.

I do hope you enjoy the good watch within this link, that can explain robotics a bit more.

[Methodological Individualism]

We told them that copper tools would pave the way to their own destruction, but did they listen?

To be fair, copper tools were necessary for more advanced developments in cave painting. Mashed up ochre on rock is nice, but it's not 1080p.

[Chernoslavia]

This is retarded...

[Methodological Individualism]

Plus, haven't slaughterbots been a problem since the dawn of war?

Hasn't the problem of depersonalizing our own soldiers, so as to facilitate dehumanizing the enemy, so as to overcome the natural hesitation to kill, always been an issue? The resulting PTSD and other severe psychological issues -- wetware slaughterbots, frankly -- being the primary danger?

We're only worried about this now ?

[Ostroeuropa]

"Slaughterbots" aren't likely to ever see action.

In circumstances where it's a war against another nation, they'd be far more useful for automatic targetting of weapons and industrial facilities.

In circumstances where it's an insurgency or terrorism, humans are likely to be the ones pulling triggers, even if it's through a remote system, as at least the *appearance* of avoiding civilian casualties must be upheld.

Perhaps some maniac dictator would order them, but a military strategist or general or whatever wouldn't see them as useful, so they won't get built.

Such a dictator would quickly find themselves shit out of luck because it's likely to be a highly intricate piece of machinery and facilities could be destroyed easily enough.

Potentially we might see them replace privates, and units become a human officer leading a troop of AIs remotely, but I'd wager the human element is going to remain.

[United Imperial Systems]

Likely? No.

The likeliness is growing more each day, the thing most people do not realize is this is our Forth Industrial revolution occurring right now. Being based around both robotics and humans as a whole.

I do hope you enjoy the good watch within this link, that can explain robotics a bit more.

Sorry, but I don't want to watch a one hour video.
However, I assume they never talked about our most limiting factor, energy?
Because, sorry, but first getting such a drone armed with a charge enough to, cause genocide and make them cheap enough for terrorists to buy them, is going to be hard.
But how do you power such a small thing? It cannot be big, or else you can out smart it, it cannot be small, or else you can outrun it(The battery will die too fast), as I said, it's plausible, but not likely.
Stuff that is more likely would be drones injecting deadly venom, but not explosive charges.

[Principality of the Raix]

The likeliness is growing more each day, the thing most people do not realize is this is our Forth Industrial revolution occurring right now. Being based around both robotics and humans as a whole.

I do hope you enjoy the good watch within this link, that can explain robotics a bit more.

Sorry, but I don't want to watch a one hour video.
However, I assume they never talked about our most limiting factor, energy?
Because, sorry, but first getting such a drone armed with a charge enough to, cause genocide and make them cheap enough for terrorists to buy them, is going to be hard.
But how do you power such a small thing? It cannot be big, or else you can out smart it, it cannot be small, or else you can outrun it(The battery will die too fast), as I said, it's plausible, but not likely.
Stuff that is more likely would be drones injecting deadly venom, but not explosive charges.

Sadly, you are wrong they cover the energy factors down to how they can be made to walk and etc. Thing you don't understand is that Robotics has taken a large jump since '00. While being able to power them has been resolved, however the difficulty now is to get them to think like us overall. To enable them to survive the real world, while having enough power to drive an army is not likely right now. It is possible. Surely is not impossible nor improbable.

[SD_Film Artists]

By the film's own admission it's a worst case scenario (both stylistically* and morally), so it's unfair to judge any and all automated weapons as "slaughterbots".

*What kind of arms company would call their product "slaughterbots"? If they were made by a real company they'll be called something like "shield bees" or "Type 9 Defense drone". And the salesman had a....salesman vibe.

[United Imperial Systems]

Sorry, but I don't want to watch a one hour video.
However, I assume they never talked about our most limiting factor, energy?
Because, sorry, but first getting such a drone armed with a charge enough to, cause genocide and make them cheap enough for terrorists to buy them, is going to be hard.
But how do you power such a small thing? It cannot be big, or else you can out smart it, it cannot be small, or else you can outrun it(The battery will die too fast), as I said, it's plausible, but not likely.
Stuff that is more likely would be drones injecting deadly venom, but not explosive charges.

Sadly, you are wrong they cover the energy factors down to how they can be made to walk and etc. Thing you don't understand is that Robotics has taken a large jump since '00. While being able to power them has been resolved, however the difficulty now is to get them to think like us overall. To enable them to survive the real world, while having enough power to drive an army is not likely right now. It is possible. Surely is not impossible nor improbable.

Explain me then, how do they think they will power a swarm of tiny drones?

[Principality of the Raix]

Sadly, you are wrong they cover the energy factors down to how they can be made to walk and etc. Thing you don't understand is that Robotics has taken a large jump since '00. While being able to power them has been resolved, however the difficulty now is to get them to think like us overall. To enable them to survive the real world, while having enough power to drive an army is not likely right now. It is possible. Surely is not impossible nor improbable.

Explain me then, how do they think they will power a swarm of tiny drones?

Drones are being upgraded, however I speak as a whole on robotics. However, thing is most of it now is done through battery and electrical charge. However, as stated drones are getting better as we progress further towards more machines. While, if we wanted to make each an effective killing device, one could simply use nuclear fusion. If one could make a chamber as small as a drone, it get shots down... Kaboom!

[Washington Resistance Army]

I sense a great new product for the civilian market.