Autonomous Moralities

10/15/2018

Human’s developments of technology have followed them into a very unavoidable thing in today’s society; warfare. Since the beginning of war, there have are three known revolutions, gunpowder, nuclear, and now the third is just being introduced, autonomous robots. People argue robots in war can save “good” lives and decrease the threat to soldiers out fighting, “avoiding civilian casualties in war and only killing the enemy”(Shapiro), but it brings serious repercussions. With automatons, war loses (whatever) morality that it has had, and also loses the very human trait of mercy. It brings up a question of “what is legal in the laws of war [or] what is morally right - [for that is] something autonomous weapons might not distinguish”(Shapiro). There is also the threat of malfunction and friendly fire as well.
Should robots be used in war, should they only be “strategically” used, or should they be banned altogether? What is the best way to deal with these new technological advances?
Peralta, Eyder. “Weighing The Good And The Bad Of Autonomous Killer Robots In Battle.” NPR,
NPR, 28 April 2018, www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/04/28/476055707/wei ghing-the-good-and-the-bad-of-autonomous-killer-robots-in-battle. Accessed 23 April 2018.
Shapiro, Ari. “Autonomous Weapons Would Take Warfare To A New Domain, Without Humans.”
NPR, NPR, 23 April 2018, www.npr.org/sections/alltechcosidered/2018/04/23/6 04438311/autonomous-weapons-would-take-warfare-to-a-new-domain-without-humans. Accessed 23 April 2018.
Easy access:
https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2018/04/23/604438311/autonomous-weapons-would-take-warfare-to-a-new-domain-without-humans
https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/04/28/476055707/weighing-the-good-and-the-bad-of-autonomous-killer-robots-in-battle

42 Comments

Kelsey

10/18/2018 06:11:57 pm

Although using robots as a replacement for soldiers would save lives, families, civilians, and people in war camps, I do not see it working out in the long run. I perceive it would mostly be a resource problem; robots are expense, use huge amounts of materials, and would create copious amounts of waste. Furthermore, every country has only so many resources and technology. If one country fought with robots and the other with humans, that is terribly unfair. On the other hand, I guess war has mostly come down to resources anyways. Also, there is the debate about robots being programmed to have emotions and feelings - now that could become a sticky situation. I do not agree with the ethics regarding war, but I do not see robots as a sustainable solution.

Rachel

10/21/2018 03:37:06 pm

I agree that robots are not a sustainable solution for warfare. Do you think that there is a way to save human lives without jeopardizing the "morality" of warfare?

Brooke

10/21/2018 04:12:32 pm

All is fair in love and war...unless robots are involved. It would be unfair to have machines versus humans, so we would ultimately level the playing field and advance to both sides as robots. You bring up an excellent point; the recourses taken to build an entire army could be better spent on different projects.

Jazz-Lynn

10/21/2018 07:19:30 pm

Do you think that war would become more or less expensive with the use of autonomous robots? It would cut down on the costs of paying soldiers, but it would also be expensive build so many of these robots, so which do you think would bankrupt our country faster?

Kenna

10/21/2018 07:39:10 pm

Resources would definitely be a problem for countries. Even if we could use robots for war we would run out of resources eventually. Programming emotions into robots is definitely a sticky situation.

Bailey

10/21/2018 08:09:09 pm

I agree. Robots would not be a sustainable long term solution. They would just take up resources and time. They might save lives in the beginning, but I feel like in the long run, they might end up taking more than they save.

Kenna

10/20/2018 10:49:58 am

Using robots would cut down on casualties on both sides. However, robots don't have the concept of Mercy or any feelings really. What they interpret as an enemy might just be a civilian and unless these robots are controlled by people it would definitely be hard to program emotions into hundreds of robots. Than it would only be a matter of time until we accept our new robot overlords as if sci-fi movies have taught us nothing.

Katarina

10/21/2018 03:31:41 pm

I agree that you can’t program emotions into robots. They only way it would work is if like you said a human was controlling it and it was just the robot that was on the field but they weren’t making the decisions.

Mckinlee

10/21/2018 06:40:36 pm

What if we could program emotions into robots? Do you think they could be used for warfare then?

Challis

10/21/2018 08:00:19 pm

Well, actually robots would cut only our side's casualities assuming we are not giving out our resources to other countries.

Saylor

10/21/2018 10:34:57 pm

I agree, even if there was a way to program emotions into a robot, no one is going to want to sit and program emotions into each and every robot. Would wasting so much money on robots that are just going to get destroyed be worth it?

Saylor

10/21/2018 12:44:37 pm

Using robots for war might save American lives, but there are many cons on the use of autonomous robots. The technology would be very expensive, and easily hacked. No one would take the time to program "feelings" into hundreds or thousands of robots so mercy would be out of the picture.The benefits that come with going into the military help thousands of Americans make it through their lives if they cant provide for themselves. If that is taken away from citizens many people wont make it on their own or be able to provide an education after college for their kids.

Brooke

10/21/2018 04:15:00 pm

Yes, the strength of these machines are also the weakness. The cons outweigh the pros, I agree. If we replace soldiers with robots, our country would suddenly rely almost entirely on technology; we would not know how to defend ourselves without help, and that is not a good plan.

Conrad D.

10/21/2018 07:16:43 pm

Not only is there the problem of hacking and programming morality, there is also the real threat of glitches and other such problem that could cost the exact price robots are supposed to save.

McKinlee

10/21/2018 02:25:39 pm

Although the pros of using robots in war would be great, I feel as though the cons outweigh them. Ethically I feel it would be wrong, and also touching on what Kelsey said it would be costly and resources would be difficult to come by.

Katarina

10/21/2018 03:29:59 pm

I agree that the cost might be a tipping point and a huge con.

Rachel

10/21/2018 03:30:20 pm

Why do you feel that ethically it would be wrong? If we are saving human lives then what would be wrong with replacing soldiers with autonomous robots, for example?

Kenna

10/21/2018 07:48:03 pm

The cons absolutely outweigh the pros. Even if less lives could potentially be saved.

Rachel

10/21/2018 03:28:35 pm

Use of robots in warfare has already been experimented with and I think that it would be a mistake to make it legal or even normal. As previously mentioned, robots take away the "moral" part of war. There would no longer be mercy or decisions because they would simply do what they had been programmed to do, no matter the consequences. As much as I would love to see human lives saved, I do not think that robots are the way to go. With actual human lives out of the picture, wars would become even more horrific and I think that nations would simply invent new ways to inflict the same type of suffering on their enemies. I wonder if robot use will be regulated or if it will become a free for all on the war front? How can we best ensure of the safety of those who are fighting for our country?

Kelsey

10/21/2018 07:30:32 pm

Why do you think war would become more horrific with human lives out of the picture? Your question at the end brings up my biggest concern - I do not think robots would work out because it would be almost impossible to regulate.

Katarina

10/21/2018 03:28:42 pm

I think robots are a pro in some aspects when it comes to war because we’d be saving innocent soldiers lives. On the other sides of that though if we as a country don’t have people lives at risk it may be enough for people to not know when to stop when it comes to war. We have our limitations now because people’s lives are at stake but if that element is no longer, will we be able to find the line to stop. I think robots would be great in extremely dangerous situations where fatalities are a 100% guarantee but not in every case.

Sariah

10/21/2018 06:40:15 pm

I like having robots as a last resort type of thing. That is a good idea that I think if evolved correctly could do us good. What do you think on having robot assasins? That are sent out and programmed specifically to kill one person. That way no one else would get harmed and the robot could save a human assasins life and mental state.

Mckinlee

10/21/2018 06:42:12 pm

I agree with the 100% fatality, but like you said humans don’t really know how to stop once they are started. I think it’s be risky to completely rely on robots like that.

Jesse B.

10/21/2018 06:50:53 pm

The loss of our soldiers' lives would decrease, but if autonomous and lethal robots were to be used now, civilians would die more often. The software to control these machines is not advanced enough to differentiate civilians from enemies. I agree that the line of where to stop conflict would be harder to determine if all that was at stake were machines. What do think about drones in a non-lethal part of war such as surveillance? Would it be OK then?

Conrad D.

10/21/2018 07:19:34 pm

Another problem is the identification of enemies. Many of the enemies that America are indistinguishable from other innocents. We may kill a large number of there innocent people in our effort to protect American lives.

Challis

10/21/2018 08:01:54 pm

I also think that robots could be good in some situations but they definitely could not entirely replace souldiers.

Saylor

10/21/2018 10:36:24 pm

Robots would definitely benefit American citizens lives, but that is a lot of money going down the drain. It wouldnt hurt to have them as a last resort.

Brooke

10/21/2018 04:08:36 pm

Seriously, how many examples of robots-turn-deadly movies do we need to see before our own creations take a turn down that exact road? Robots lack morals, which is what makes them unique and dangerous. I do see the advantages of using them in war, but at our own risk. Surveillance drones and such I would support, but I'm not on board the 'robot soldier' train quite yet. It is humans who start wars; it should be humans who finish them. If we used robots, war would become a large scale game of chess--leaders using technology to fight technology instead of feeling the remorse of losing human lives. War would become easier to be instigated because humans are taken out of the equasion.

Sariah

10/21/2018 06:36:43 pm

I like that you are looking at different types of robots that would benefit us in a way that would not put us in more risk. We can use our technology intellect for things such as drones as you mentioned that could benefit us greatly.

Jesse B.

10/21/2018 06:37:48 pm

I guess these robots-gone-rogue movies do have something to teach us. Imagine if a fully loaded drone was just like, "I feel like ending some lives today," and dropped some warheads on an American city. We cannot allow that to happen, so we should only produce lethal robots if they have a human operator and autonomous machines should be designated to only non-lethal roles. I like your idea that if the humans start a conflict, they should end it. Is war not already a big strategy game with human lives though?

Jesse B.

10/21/2018 06:20:07 pm

Warfare has been mankind’s greatest equalizer ever since prehistoric man threw the first punch. Whoever can outthink, outlast, outspend, and/or overwhelm the opposition first wins and gets to choose to their fate. The introduction of robots onto the battlefield is one method that leading military nations have used to outthink (or outspend) their opponents. This evolution in tactics was going to occur regardless because if civilian technology advances, so will military tech. Now the question is will these drones, UAV’s, and other robots become too powerful for us to handle? Yes, if we do not gain control over our creations and ourselves. Technology today is at a point where the software can guide the hardware without a human operator, examples being self-driving cars and automated vacuums. Now imagine one of those having the ability to shoot warheads (now you will think twice about telling Siri to shut up). To have a machine determine whether people shall die or live based on algorithms is not an intelligent idea, regardless of how “smart” a robot might be. This is due to current AI not being able to adapt to any situation outside of its programing. So, if an enemy looks like a friendly, then allied lives could be lost and if a civilian fits the description of a hostile, that civilian or more could be killed.
We are human because we can produce emotions. No machine (yet) can feel love or pity or hate; they can only use their programed lines of code to fulfill their intended purpose. I believe that if robots are to be implemented onto the battlefield, the use of deadly weapons should be left to machines with a human operator and if autonomous drones are to be utilized by the military, their operations should be limited to non-lethal actions such as surveillance.

Kelsey

10/21/2018 07:34:15 pm

I did read an article that talked about programming feelings into robots, so would this advancement change your opinion? Also, I agree with getting control over this situation, because we do not want to make another big mistake like we did in the last military advancement - I'm talking when we nuked Japan.

Sariah

10/21/2018 06:33:28 pm

At first the thought of having robots fight for us sounds like a good idea. But the more I think into it there are extreme negatives in furthering robotic warfare. One being that if we started using robots in place of humans “war” would not be feared because we would not be losing human lives. I think that we would not take war seriously and we would start making loose decisions about warfare. Second I believe it would be dangerous, as people mentioned before, robots could malfunction and be uncontrollable. They also have no feeling or emotions which could lead to poor judgement when out in the field. It is impossible to program those things into something that is incapable of having them.

Jazz-Lynn

10/21/2018 07:10:51 pm

I completely agree with what you said about losing the fear of war. If we decide to use these robots that can be easily replaced, then how far would war go until someone decided to stop? How do you think malfunctions could be dealt with?

Sadie

10/21/2018 07:15:09 pm

There is nothing smarter than the human brain, but sometimes we get on our 'high horse' and assume that we are the toughest being. Just like with animals, some people think that they are easily controlled and just 'too dumb.' In reality, those are the people who die for the stupidest reasons. So yes, there are possibilities for malfunctions and some don't realize the consequences.

Jazz-Lynn

10/21/2018 07:07:02 pm

While the use of these robots would reduce the number of American casualties, the negatives outweigh the benefits. War would become much more acceptable because real people with emotions and families wouldn't be dying, so in the long run I think that robot soldiers would only cause more fighting. What about the possibility of these battle robots being hacked? How would the robots react if they came across a situation that they haven't been programmed for? There are too many uncertainties for me to think that autonomous robots would have an overall positive impact.

Sadie

10/21/2018 07:10:00 pm

It's honestly just like a video game. There are glitches and sometimes the enemies attack you for no reason.

Katherine

10/21/2018 07:52:25 pm

With war becoming more acceptable, it would lose the "purpose" of it. In the end, it would come down to a battle of who has the better technology. I agree that you can't keep them from being hacked. There are so many different situations and you cannot plan for all of them.

Sadie

10/21/2018 07:08:28 pm

Advancing technology, in the past, hasn't always been a good thing. All new technological weapons will be stolen by and used against us anyway. Although fighting with robots may save lives, it would be extremely risky. Inventing new technology always comes with some malfunctions. Robots taking over the world could honestly be possible because they might be unstoppable if they go rogue. Just like the world learned from the dropping of bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, we could come to an agreement. It would be like, "We would only use robots if you do." This fear holds us back and I hope it continues to do so for as long as possible.

Katherine

10/21/2018 07:49:53 pm

I agree that they could take over the world. If we make the robots hard to defeat to the point of unstoppable, what happens then? I also agree that creating new technology, especially like this, will have some sort of malfunction.

Katherine

10/21/2018 07:48:26 pm

I don't think that robots should be allowed in war. I believe that they take the integrity of fighting in a war. Robots don't have mercy and yes they are highly advanced technology, but will they really understand the difference of who's good and who's bad? The enemy can just find ways around being the robot's target victim. The other side can take the same technology and turn it against us as well. Where do we draw the line for what we can and can't do? How far are we willing to go to "win" the war? I don't think it's smart to use robots and start a whole new generation of war.

Challis

10/21/2018 07:56:02 pm

I feel like they could definitely be used as a strategy at some points but there has to be extra repercussions. We would have to make sure it is impossible for the machine to malfunction and I think each machine should be manually controlled if possible.

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