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Freeman [soylentnews.org] writes:

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2024/05/robot-dogs-armed-with-ai-targeting-rifles-undergo-us-marines-special-ops-evaluation/ [arstechnica.com]

The United States Marine Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC [marines.mil]) is currently evaluating a new generation of robotic "dogs" developed by Ghost Robotics [ghostrobotics.io], with the potential to be equipped with gun systems from defense tech company Onyx Industries, reports The War Zone [twz.com].
[...]
MARSOC is currently in possession of two armed Q-UGVs undergoing testing, as confirmed by Onyx Industries staff, and their gun systems are based on Onyx's SENTRY remote weapon system [onyx-ind.com] (RWS), which features an AI-enabled digital imaging system and can automatically detect and track people, drones, or vehicles, reporting potential targets to a remote human operator that could be located anywhere in the world. The system maintains a human-in-the-loop control for fire decisions, and it cannot decide to fire autonomously.

On LinkedIn, Onyx Industries shared a video [linkedin.com] of a similar system in action.
[...]
The prospect of deploying armed robotic dogs, even with human oversight, raises significant questions about the future of warfare and the potential risks and ethical implications of increasingly autonomous weapons systems. There's also the potential for backlash [arstechnica.com] if similar remote weapons systems eventually end up used domestically by police. Such a concern would not be unfounded: In November 2022, we covered a decision by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to allow the San Francisco Police Department to use lethal robots [arstechnica.com] against suspects.

Previously on SoylentNews:
San Francisco Decides Killer Police Robots Aren't Such a Great Idea [soylentnews.org] - 20221208

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