Ukraine-Russia War Escalates Research, Development of Killer Robots; Weaponized AI Is the Future of Warfare [REPORT]

The ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia has intensified the US military's commitment to the use of autonomous weapons, a report says.

Killer Robots As War Weapons

An update to a Department of Defense directive released on Jan. 25, 2023, revealed the first focus on artificial intelligence autonomous weapons. It builds on an implementation strategy announced by NATO on Oct. 13, 2022, which aims to protect the alliance's "technical edge" in what is frequently referred to as "killer robots."

The announcement showed an important lesson that militaries around the world learned from the recent operations in Ukraine and Nagorno-Karabakh - the future of warfare is weaponized artificial intelligence, Science Alert reported.

Russia announced earlier this month that it's developing a combat version of its Marker reconnaissance robot, an uncrewed ground vehicle to support the existing forces in Ukraine.

Richard Moyes, director of Article 36, a humanitarian organization focused on reducing harm from weapons, told the outlet that they were aware that the commanders are seeing military value in loitering munitions in Ukraine.

These weapons, which resemble a hybrid between a drone and a bomb, may hover for a long time while seeking a target. According to him, such semi-autonomous missiles are currently often operated with significant human input into crucial operations.

Fully autonomous drones are currently utilized to protect Ukrainian energy plants from other drones. According to Wahid Nawabi, CEO of the US defense corporation that creates the semi-autonomous Switchblade drone, the technology to make these weapons are already available.

Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's minister for digital transformation, reportedly suggested that soldiers may encounter fully autonomous weapons on the battlefield within the next six months because they are the "logical and inevitable next step."

Killer Robots Pros And Cons

Bringing killer robots onto the battlefield received mixed responses. The proponents of fully autonomous weapon systems argue that the technology will protect soldiers because it will keep them away from the battlefield. It will also speed up things, including military decisions, which will improve defensive capabilities.

Current semi-autonomous weapons, including loitering munitions that track and detonate themselves on targets, require humans in the loop. They need operators to initiate them.

In contrast, fully autonomous drones like drone hunters deployed in Ukraine can track and disable incoming unmanned aerial vehicles day and night without human intervention. They are also faster than human-operated weapon systems.

However, The Campaign to Stop Killer Robots argued that autonomous weapon systems are designed to target humans, not just vehicles, infrastructures and other weapons. The organization is against killer robots and has been advocating for over a decade to ban the research and development of fully autonomous weapon systems.

They added that weapons operated with artificial intelligence are the ultimate form of digital dehumanization. Human Rights Watch supported the same campaign, arguing that autonomous weapon system doesn't have the human judgment necessary to distinguish civilians and legitimate military targets and destroys human control over what happens on the battlefield.

Several countries are already investing in autonomous weapon systems, including the US, Russia, China, South Korea and the European Union. Among the major concern is the technology falling into the hands of terrorists or someone outside the government's control.

The Department of Defense directive addressed the concern declaring that the US will use an autonomous weapon system but with "appropriate levels of human judgment over the use of force."

Check out more news and information on Weapons in Science Times.