Irrespective of intelligence, no machine is capable of morality. So, if you thought drones were bad, you are likely to take an even dimmer view of their successors: ‘lethal autonomous robotic weapons’. Unlike remote-controlled drones, ‘killer robots’ require no external ‘live’ human input at all, and can be pre-programmed to select and destroy specific targets.
The new weaponry poses a grave threat to human rights, according to the Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, which argues that the arms undermine international law by eliminating all human culpability.
