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posted by Fnord666 on Tuesday July 18 2017, @05:19PM   Printer-friendly
from the what-could-possibly-go-wrong dept.

Submitted via IRC for TheMightyBuzzard

Recently, Russian arms manufacturer Kalashnikov Concern has unveiled their work on a fully automated combat machine. It looks like a drone, but the neural network that controls it allows for some autonomous ability, which is going to make for some very interesting conversation at the upcoming ARMY-2017 forum. Did somebody say war robots?

For that matter, now that neural networks are basically being weaponized, I'm sure there will be some important moral debates about their use in a field of battle. Not the least of which will be: "Isn't this exactly what Skynet wants?"

But, and we've said this many times before, technology is a tool.

It isn't inherently good or bad; that depends entirely on the intentions of the user. In this case, the technology is a weapon, but that is the purview of a military, and I think we can judge them according to their actions instead of their tech.

Plus, the robot is really freaking cool. We'd be doing it a disservice by ignoring that. Let's take a closer look.

We all know that drones are already used in combat, but this robot is no drone.

Drones require operators, and while modern drones do have elements that can acquire targets without human control, they aren't fully autonomous. By using a neural network to control the drone, full autonomy is possible.

So far, there's no word on whether the module will fire without human authorization. What information we do have suggests that the use of a neural network is intended to quickly acquire many targets–something well within the capabilities of modern AI technology.

Source: https://edgylabs.com/war-robots-automated-kalashnikov-neural-network-gun/


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  • (Score: -1, Redundant) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 18 2017, @05:44PM (5 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 18 2017, @05:44PM (#541052)

    When a tricycle isn't safe enough, fit some more wheels on there. The retarded kids might fall down and skin a knee. You need the best talent for your project. Best means cheapest. The only kids you can afford are the retarded kids, and you know they can't be trained to be careful.

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  • (Score: 3, TouchĂ©) by meustrus on Tuesday July 18 2017, @05:48PM (4 children)

    by meustrus (4961) on Tuesday July 18 2017, @05:48PM (#541054)
    --
    If there isn't at least one reference or primary source, it's not +1 Informative. Maybe the underused +1 Interesting?
    • (Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 18 2017, @05:55PM (3 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 18 2017, @05:55PM (#541063)

      When a drone isn't safe enough, fit an aimbot on there. The retarded soldiers might fall down and skin a knee. You need the best soldiers for your army. Best means cheapest. The only soldiers you can afford are the retarded kids, and you know they can't be trained to be careful.

      • (Score: 2) by meustrus on Tuesday July 18 2017, @06:06PM (2 children)

        by meustrus (4961) on Tuesday July 18 2017, @06:06PM (#541072)

        No, still doesn't work. Unless I'm missing something, nobody is claiming that drone operation is too hard or unsafe. In fact, the common criticism here is that "aimbot" is less safe, not more.

        Further, I take issue with your "retarded soldiers" assertion. It's classist and dehumanizing, and it disrespects the sacrifices soldiers everywhere have made in the name of their countries.

        --
        If there isn't at least one reference or primary source, it's not +1 Informative. Maybe the underused +1 Interesting?
        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 18 2017, @06:14PM (1 child)

          by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 18 2017, @06:14PM (#541077)

          The point is you don't need to train soldiers to be drone operators. If the drone can operate itself and the only input needed is yes/no to fire then even a retarded soldier can use it. So if retarded soldiers are good enough, why bother recruiting anyone smarter.

          • (Score: 3, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 18 2017, @07:50PM

            by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 18 2017, @07:50PM (#541125)

            No the point is we don't want to read your copy pasta every article. Get bent.