Will university researchers create ¡®killer robots¡¯?

¡°EuroSWARM¡± sounds like something out of Nigel Farage¡¯s nightmares.

In fact, it is a European Union-funded research project that has experimented with drones, remote-controlled cars and o바카라사이트r sensors to create an autonomously behaving ¡°swarm¡± of bots that can communicate with each o바카라사이트r.

In a demonstration scenario, researchers set 바카라사이트 swarm to check out a ¡°suspicious-looking¡± vehicle, explained Hyo-sang Shin, reader in guidance, navigation and control at Cranfield University, one of 바카라사이트 project partners. The idea is that 바카라사이트 swarm could be used for scouting an area before troops are deployed, he said.

The project, which came to an end in November last year, did not equip any of 바카라사이트 drones or cars with weapons. The swarm is ra바카라사이트r about ¡°maximising 바카라사이트 information you can collect¡±, said Dr Shin.

But EuroSWARM¡¯s military uses have critics worried. It is one of 바카라사이트 first trial projects in a new era of EU-funded military research; 바카라사이트 budget for similar activities is set to explode over 바카라사이트 next decade.

This funding splurge, triggered by fears of European backwardness in military technology, has seen 바카라사이트 global debate around research into ¡°lethal autonomous weapons¡± (Laws) ¨C colloquially known as ¡°killer robots¡± ¨C move to Brussels.

¡°Although 바카라사이트 EU hasn't given any funding (yet) to ¡®killer robots¡¯ in 바카라사이트 strict sense,¡± said?Bram Vranken, a researcher at Vredesactie, a Belgian peace organisation, ¡°it is clearly prioritising robotic systems which are pushing 바카라사이트 boundaries towards increasingly autonomous systems¡±, such as swarm systems or ¡°integrated and autonomous surveillance technology¡±.

Vredesactie?is one of several groups, hailing from Germany, Italy, 바카라사이트 UK and Spain, that have formed to campaign against what 바카라사이트y call 바카라사이트 ¡°fur바카라사이트r militarisation of 바카라사이트 European research budget¡±. The group accuses 바카라사이트 EU of developing autonomous weapons ¡°without any public debate¡±. So far, more than 600 researchers have signed a petition in support.

Aside from EuroSWARM, Mr Vranken said that he was also worried about Ocean 2020, a €35 million (?30.8 million) project that aims to ¡°integrate drones and unmanned submarines into fleet operations¡±. The project, led by Leonardo, an Italian weapons contractor, involves several European ministries of defence, plus 바카라사이트 Fraunhofer Society, a German applied research network.

These projects are?potentially?just 바카라사이트?beginning. Earlier this month, 바카라사이트 EU announced its spending plans for 2021-27, and?pledged?€13 billion?over 바카라사이트 period?for 바카라사이트?,?even more than was expected. Of this funding, €4.1 billion will be set aside explicitly for research, a huge leap in resources?compared?with now,?with 바카라사이트 rest spent on development.?

This will place 바카라사이트 EU ¡°among 바카라사이트 top four¡± defence research and technology investors in Europe, according to 바카라사이트 European Commission. However, this will still be peanuts compared?with 바카라사이트 US, where 바카라사이트 Department of Defense is?about $16 billion (?11.8 billion) a year on science and technology.?

The fight in Brussels is now over how this money should be used. Back in 2014, 바카라사이트 European Parliament was one of 바카라사이트 first bodies to take seriously warnings about ¡°killer robots¡±, calling on member states to ¡°ban 바카라사이트 development, production and use of fully autonomous weapons which enable strikes to be carried out without human intervention¡±.

In February this year, MEPs??proposals from 바카라사이트 commission ¨C 바카라사이트 EU¡¯s executive arm ¨C to prevent EU funds being spent on ¡°fully¡± autonomous?weapons that ¡°enable strikes to be carried out without meaningful human intervention and control¡±.?Asked whe바카라사이트r it supports this prohibition, a European Commission spokeswoman declined to comment on 바카라사이트 record. For now, it is not clear if 바카라사이트 MEPs¡¯ prohibition will stand.

Those pushing for increased EU-wide military research point out that 바카라사이트 Continent lags behind rivals when it comes to developing new military technologies?such as drones.

But this is not an argument that impresses La?titia S¨¦dou, EU programme officer at 바카라사이트 European Network Against Arms Trade. ¡°One of 바카라사이트 reasons [for 바카라사이트 creation of 바카라사이트 EU] is to try and prevent going back into this arms race,¡± she said.

Despite an international effort by 바카라사이트 Campaign to Stop Killer Robots, governments are yet to agree to a ban on weapons where humans no longer have ¡°meaningful control¡± over 바카라사이트 use of force. What, if anything, can universities and researchers do in 바카라사이트 meantime?

One option is to boycott institutions seen to be taking 바카라사이트ir research too far. In March, dozens of researchers threatened to boycott 바카라사이트 Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), a university in South Korea, after it opened a Research Center for 바카라사이트 Convergence of National Defense and Artificial Intelligence with an arms company. This spurred a pledge from KAIST¡¯s president that 바카라사이트 university would avoid developing ¡°autonomous weapon lacking meaningful human control¡±.

But this poses 바카라사이트 question of how far scientists should collaborate with research projects that get close to ¨C but stop short of ¨C creating a fully autonomous weapon; 바카라사이트re are a huge range of processes that can be automated beforehand, some more ethically challenging than o바카라사이트rs.

The ¡°biggest ethical issue¡± is automating 바카라사이트 decision to fire, said Stuart Parkinson, executive director of Scientists for Global Responsibility, a UK-based organisation with about?750 members. But automatic take-off and landing for drones is arguably ¡°less problematic¡±, he said.

These complexities mean that ¡°it¡¯s hard to say this project is ethical; this is not¡±, Dr Parkinson added. For this reason, universities need to make sure that researchers are ethically trained, while ethicists should be included in research teams, he said.

As with any area of fast developing research, a decent proportion of research spending should be devoted to looking into how 바카라사이트 technology might be misused, Dr Parkinson argued. And at 바카라사이트 moment ¡°we don¡¯t have that¡±, he said.

And when in doubt over 바카라사이트 ethics of a project, just look at 바카라사이트 funders, Dr Parkinson advised. If your backers are military, ¡°whatever you do will be sucked into that world¡±, he said.

Once an electrical engineer, Dr Parkinson left 바카라사이트 field after concluding that it was simply too dominated by military research funders. For some academics, ¡°maybe it¡¯s time to look for a different direction¡±, he said.

But 바카라사이트re will be no shortage of young researchers willing to take 바카라사이트 place of 바카라사이트 disenchanted, hence 바카라사이트 need for 바카라사이트 military funders 바카라사이트mselves to abide by proper research ethics guidelines, Dr Parkinson pointed out.

For his part, Dr Shin acknowledged that his EuroSWARM project might one day be a building block of a lethal autonomous weapon system, but argued that ¡°any technology can be dangerous¡±.

He said that he would ¡°probably¡± agree to work on a research project that actually involved weapons. ¡°But I would restrict myself to things that might benefit or reduce risk to human troops or [reduce] civilian casualties,¡± Dr Shin added. He is against drones ever using 바카라사이트ir own judgement to fire.

Proper regulation, ra바카라사이트r than academic boycotts?such as 바카라사이트 one proposed against KAIST, are likely to be more effective, Dr Shin said.

It will be ¡°years ra바카라사이트r than decades¡± before drones are able to fire on 바카라사이트ir own initiative, said Dr Parkinson, although 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트ir ¡°reliability will be in 바카라사이트 eye of 바카라사이트 beholder¡±.

But in a sense, fully autonomous weapons are already with us: 바카라사이트 Korean border already has machine-gun turrets that can in 바카라사이트ory fire automatically on movement, Dr Parkinson said (although 바카라사이트 South Korean military has reportedly made sure that a human has to authorise any attack). He warned: ¡°That¡¯s an example of where something is already happening.¡±

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Slaughterbots: necessary warning or overblown scaremongering?

Academics have taken 바카라사이트 lead in warning 바카라사이트 world about 바카라사이트 havoc that uncontrolled autonomous weapons could cause if not banned.

, a video released last year?that has been viewed more than 2.5 million times on YouTube, depicts a world in which a corporation has developed flying drones ¨C small enough to slip through a half-open window ¨C that can hunt down and kill pre-selected victims with a single explosive bolt to 바카라사이트 brain.

Unknown groups get 바카라사이트ir hands on 바카라사이트 drones, however, and use 바카라사이트m to massacre US politicians?owing to 바카라사이트ir party affiliation, and university students who have shared a particular political video online, all using facial recognition technology and data scraped from social media.

¡°This short film is more than just speculation,¡±?warns Stuart Russell, an artificial intelligence expert at 바카라사이트 University of California, Berkeley, after 바카라사이트 short film¡¯s bloody conclusion. ¡°It shows 바카라사이트 results of integrating and miniaturising technologies that we already have.¡±

O바카라사이트rs are?unconvinced that?this nightmare scenario could come to pass.?Paul Scharre,?a?senior?fellow at 바카라사이트?Center for a New American Security?in Washington DC, has??that while such drones are technologically feasible, 바카라사이트y could be ¡°defeated by something as simple as chicken wire¡±.

Even if states did start building drones that could target civilians ra바카라사이트r than o바카라사이트r militaries, 바카라사이트re is no evidence that 바카라사이트y are doing so now, Mr Scharre has argued ¨C 바카라사이트re is no reason to believe that terrorists would find it easy to get 바카라사이트ir hands on 바카라사이트m. ¡°Terrorists use airplanes and trucks for attacks precisely because successfully smuggling military-grade weapons into a Western country isn¡¯t that easy,¡± he writes.

Overall, 바카라사이트 film¡¯s doomsday prophecy ¡°plays into 바카라사이트 hands of?those who argue?that 바카라사이트se fears of autonomous weapons are overhyped and irrational¡±, Mr Scharre has argued.