Losing Humanity The Case against Killer Robots

Abstract

With the rapid development and proliferation of robotic weapons, machines are starting to\ntake the place of humans on the battlefield. Some military and robotics experts have\npredicted that "killer robots"—fully autonomous weapons that could select and engage\ntargets without human intervention-could be developed within 20 to 30 years. At present,\nmilitary officials generally say that humans will retain some level of supervision over\ndecisions to use lethal force, but their statements often leave open the possibility that\nrobots could one day have the ability to make such choices on their own power. Human\nRights Watch and Harvard Law School's International Human Rights Clinic (IHRC) believe\nthat such revolutionary weapons would not be consistent with international humanitarian\nlaw and would increase the risk of death or injury to civilians during armed conflict. A\npreemptive prohibition on their development and use is needed.

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