The First (and Only) Law of Robotic Warfare
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By Sorin Matei
November 17, 2021
Rod Long
Robotic weapons that can autonomously identify the enemy, place firepower in position, and assist in targeting are almost a reality.[1] War waged by intelligent machines conducted by humans ensconced in bunkers or roaming from stand-off command centers at sea or in air can alter the face of the battlefield. Such wars can change the very definition of conflict.
Will the future autonomous fighting systems be a boon or an ultimate threat to humanity?
Change will start with the possibility that vulnerabilities in enemy configuration may be better and faster diagnosed with machine learning algorithms, which can also more accurately decide if the enemy is where we expect it to be and in what strength. Open flanks and weak points can be dynamically discovered using models that predict movement in time and space. Finally, optimal moments of attack or withdrawal can be determined using machine learning, a method that based on past experience can identify what to do next. This second revolution in military affairs will not stop here, though. There is the clear possibility that the collection of data analytic tools will make the next and necessary step: full autonomy.
Will future autonomous fighting systems be a boon or an ultimate threat to humanity? I argue that while real, the danger is not that the machines will rebel, but that they will be too obedient to their programmers, destroying each other and their creators. To avoid the possibility of Mutual Assured Destruction re-enacted by robotic warfare, it is in the interest of all combatants to program their war machines to follow the Golden Rule, instilling in them the fear of their own annihilation. This might make the war robots less precise but being more discriminating will make it easier to blend with human decision making. This solution is necessary philosophically and from a military doctrine perspective. The full technical implementation – which will take decades to solve – is another problem that is not the main point of this article. I do propose, however, that a way to do it is to use N-decision making routines, which I briefly discuss at the article’s end.
https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2021/11/17/the_first_and_only_law_of_robotic_warfare_804004.html
