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from the working-on-skynet-and-judgment-day dept.
The US Office of Naval Research (ONR) has been showing off its Low-Cost UAV Swarming Technology (LOCUST) that will "throw massive swarms of networked aircraft into the skies to search for the enemy."
Vice has published an interview with Lee Mastroianni, Technical Manager on the LOCUST project:
Are the drones designed to carry weapons or for reconnaissance?
They could be for reconnaissance; they could be weaponized. If you look at the LOCUST video we put online, I used a sample mission... you have a simultaneous strike where weaponized UAVs take [all their targets] out at the same time.And do they operate in a kamikaze sort of way? They fly into the target and explode?
The UAVs would be the weapon as opposed to a Predator [UAV], which launches other weapons. These are one-way missions.Once they're in the air, how are they controlled?
That's the second big piece of the demonstration—autonomous control. Once launched, I don't need to talk to the UAVs. They understand what the mission is. They're talking to one another. You want to know what's it up to. You want to control it. You need to. But it isn't a UAV pilot flying it like a remote control aircraft.
Vice also interviewed Stephan Sonnenberg, a Clinical Supervising Attorney and Lecturer in Law at Stanford University:
Have you seen the LOCUST promotional video and, if so, what sort of angle are you coming at it from?
Stephan Sonnenberg: I'm concerned about how all this is going to be impacting civilians. You're expanding the capability—the range—of very lethal weapons systems into situations you wouldn't currently use that kind of lethal force. It's amazing for a promotional video that the target for this is indiscriminate shelling of a village.Yeah, putting a Middle Eastern–looking settlement in the video struck me as odd, from a PR point of view. Legally, is this idea of autonomy more cause for concern than the drone technology we see at the moment?
Human Rights Watch have taken the position of many others who think that the line should be drawn with autonomous weapons. You're abdicating ethical responsibility to some kind of a programmer to write code that's going to be consistent with humanitarian norms. I think there's a lot to be worried about.Is there any sort of legal framework in place to differentiate between manned and unmanned flights?
The US will put forward its own justifications, many of which are classified, but if you really look at it it's very scary. For example, kids that are 12-years-old, or whatever, are going to be assumed to be targets unless posthumously proven otherwise, which is obviously outrageous.Is there any legal framework in place to stop the US developing a fully autonomous drone?
No, I don't think there is. If I were having to argue that there was, I would come up short.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 28 2015, @06:21AM
And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.
Revelation 9:1-11 (KJV)
(Score: 2, Funny) by Azuma Hazuki on Tuesday April 28 2015, @06:40AM
Oh for fuck's sake. You know, your God COULD have made us so we're not warlike if he has a problem with this. I'm always amazed at how you people have so little regard for supposed omniscience, omnipotence, etc., and just basically imagine a big angry beardy warmongering human in the sky when you hear the word "God."
Get a clue: Revelation is anti-Roman polemic, as you'd know if you know what gematria is and what the "number of the Beast" signifies (hint: "Neron Qaisar").
Of course, if you're SO tired of the business of living, being human, and learning new things, feel free to make your own personal Armageddon with a bottle of gasoline and a match. No one will miss you, I assure you.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 0, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 28 2015, @07:01AM
sorry for your loss
are you an angry drunk?
(Score: 3, Insightful) by DeathMonkey on Tuesday April 28 2015, @05:25PM
When you realize that God was actually made in Man's image it makes a lot more sense.
(Score: 2) by darkfeline on Wednesday April 29 2015, @02:37AM
Man created god in His own image, in the image of Man He created him; angel and demon He created them.
Genesis 1:27
Join the SDF Public Access UNIX System today!
(Score: 2) by kaszz on Tuesday April 28 2015, @11:41AM
Just combine those drones with the other quote from that book and the future looks even more interesting..
Replace trading with being alive at all.
Makes you think about that scene in the Minority Report where drones invade a housing complex to retina scan everybody. Nice future.
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Tuesday April 28 2015, @05:23PM
but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months:
Somehow I imagine the very same people that will use these to bomb villages are also convinced that they will only receive the 5-month trial version of the torture.