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 — “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:

The U.S should pledge not to develop or deploy autonomous weapons, and it should support a global treaty banning such weapons.

Click to add your name now.

Thanks for taking action.

For progress,

- Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen
 
 
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