Killer robots and computerized nuclear annihilation were themes of many science
fiction movies in the 1980s.

The thing is, those films were warning us what NOT to do.

But with the rush to develop — and cash in on — ever more powerful artificial
intelligence (AI) technologies, it is not at all obvious that we are going to
heed those warnings.

And we are now on the verge of a whole new era for the military-industrial
complex — with tech companies salivating at the prospect of untold billions to
be made from the Pentagon’s infatuation with using autonomous robots and
artificial intelligence in America’s military operations.

* New start-up companies are pitching the Pentagon on autonomous weapons
systems that can use lethal force without direct human control.

* They are hiring former Pentagon officials to make their case to feed at the
Pentagon’s funding trough.

* Driving the push for military AI applications is former Google CEO Eric
Schmidt — who also happens to be invested in multiple military AI companies.

You can read Public Citizen’s new report [[link removed]] — “A.I. Joe: The Dangers of Artificial Intelligence and the U.S. Military” —
for much more about these alarming developments and what should be done about
it.

Even if they work as intended, autonomous weapons inherently dehumanize the
people targeted and make it easier to tolerate widespread killing.

American use of autonomous weapons will also spark a new arms race — guaranteed
to make the world more dangerous and with no “winner.”

It is also highly likely that things won’t go as intended. For example, racial
bias and mistaken targeting of civilians are a near certainty.

And those are just the risks we can foresee.

Join Public Citizen in sending this critical message to Pentagon officials:
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The U.S should pledge not to develop or deploy autonomous weapons, and it should
support a global treaty banning such weapons.
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Click to add your name now. [[link removed]]

Thanks for taking action.

For progress,

- Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen


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