3 Questions on Killer Robots

Since fully autonomous weapons don’t yet exist, why isn’t a ban premature?

Although fully autonomous weapons are not in the market at this time, national- security experts are saying countries will be looking at this as the next step in warfare technology. These experts believe that any fully autonomous weapons should be banned before any developing begins. Concerns around these weapons are rising because of  the intense threats it brings to society.

Isn’t it difficult to define a “fully autonomous” weapon?

The article explains it as a weapon who could kill a target without any human input. They also explain the difficulties of not having an explanation.  If anyone were to ban a weapon that is “fully autonomous” a definition would first need to be explained, along with a broad range of violations because people may look to get around the exact definition of the weapon.

In addition to the errors that could lead an autonomous weapon to kill civilians, what are some of the novel legal problems they could cause?

Who would even be responsible for an error? The chain of commands could lead all the way back to the manufacturer. Which under the current law no one would be at fault.

Are these weapons something that could be implemented? What types of effects could it have on society as a whole?

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/536881/3-questions-on-killer-robots/