"This will reduce human losses."
In the near future, autonomous types of weapons with artificial intelligence will appear, which will search for targets and destroy them, according to the Japanese publication Nihon Keizai. Many countries are concerned that AI will be in charge of life and death. Meanwhile, Russia and the United States, with powerful military capabilities, oppose the restrictions, claiming that AI will reduce human losses. Who is right?
It is assumed that in the near future there will be autonomous types of weapons with artificial intelligence (AI), which will search for targets and destroy them. At the UN summit in late August, neutral Austria expressed concern that AI would be entrusted with life and death. Representatives of Costa Rica, which does not have an army, and other states have proposed a complete ban on autonomous weapons. Meanwhile, Russia and the United States, with powerful military capabilities, oppose the restrictions, claiming that AI will reduce human losses.
The summit began in Geneva on August 27 and ended on August 31. It was attended by officials from more than 100 countries, representatives of NGOs and specialists. Autonomous weapons are also called the Lethal autonomous weapon system (LAWS). Such systems determine targets automatically without human intervention and attack them. Currently, autonomous drones are used in battles, but the decision to strike is made by a person.
The main problem lies in the area of morality. “You cannot trust AI to decide whether a person will live or die,” stressed Austrian Ambassador Thomas Heinotsi. Various risks cannot be avoided: involvement of civilians due to AI errors, loss of control due to defects, and so on.
Costa Rica and other countries have proposed a complete ban on autonomous weapons. "The current international law does not correspond to new types of weapons." This opinion was expressed by some of the participants in the summit. According to NGOs present in Geneva, 26 countries, including Austria and Brazil, were in favor of signing the ban.
Meanwhile, the US and Russia tend to oppose restrictions. "Autonomous weapons can reduce the number of civilian casualties," emphasizes Washington. The representatives of Russia also noted: "AI is better able to make decisions than humans." Even if some countries agree to an agreement banning autonomous weapons, it will not have an effect if it is not ratified by such major powers as the United States, Russia, and so on.
The development of autonomous weapons is progressing at a rapid pace. South Korea has created a robot that detects a target by a person's temperature and attacks it with a machine gun, following the instructions of the person. On August 24, the U. S. Army established a Future Command in Texas, which will be responsible for developing new AI weapons.
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Experts believe that in the near future, autonomous weapons with AI will not be used in combat, in the management of which a person will not take any part, but some demand to create rules for the development and use of autonomous weapons, as was the case with nuclear weapons, anti-personnel mines etc. “Most countries share the view that human presence is essential,” said Indian Ambassador Gil.
The AI will not only decide whether to attack the target or not, but also detect the enemy, guide him, determine the target, and so on. "It is necessary to carefully discuss the essence of autonomous weapons, as well as the degree of human involvement," the EU official said.
"We will not develop, manufacture, market and use autonomous weapons." Tesla Motors President Elon Musk, along with more than 2,400 executives and scientists recently signed a declaration against autonomous weapons.
Rintaro Hosokawa
