I M A G E B Y D I G I T A L S T O R M

Society | DOI: 10.1145/3005678 Keith Kirkpatrick

Can We Trust
Autonomous Weapons?

Nations consider using defense systems that can make their own lethal decisions.

 

control for target verification, though developers have given it the capability to use its sensors to detect, select, and shoot at targets autonomously.

It is the last capability that has
watchdogs worried. Systems such as
LRASM and the SGR-A1 are now only
approved for use with a human approv-
ing targets to be killed by the system,
but there is considerable concern the
U.S. and other world powers are on the
fast track to developing machines able
MOST REASONABLE PEOPLE can see the benefits of us- ing fully autonomous sys- tems, particularly to help revent injuries or death,
Currently, the U.S. and other na-
tions do not have any weapons systems
that can operate fully autonomously,
which is defined in military parlance as
selecting, aiming, and firing at a target
without a human being “in the loop,”
or somehow in control of the weapon
system. However, a variety of military
weapons systems operate semiautono-
mously, requiring some human con-
trol or input to select or choose targets,
but relying on pre-programmed algo-
rithms to execute a strike.

A good example of this is the Lock-heed Martin Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) system, slated to enter service in the U.S. defense system within the next two years. The LRASM can be fired from a ship or plane and autonomously travel through the air, avoiding obstacles outside of the target area. Published reports indicate humans choose and program the algorithms to seek out and identify potential targets, thus keeping a human in the loop. While the exact factors that make up the target selection algorithm are classified, it is likely a weighting of elements such as the target’s size, location, radar signature, heat profile, or other elements that positively identify the target.

Another example of a system with
semiautonomous capabilities is Sam-
sung’s SGR-A1, a military border sentry
robot in development for deployment
on the border between North and South
Korea. Essentially an unarmed guard
tower, the system is designed to assist
border guards by scanning the area for
those who might try to cross the bor-
der. The system is armed with a light
machine gun that can dispense tear
gas or rubber bullets, and is equipped
with cameras, a laser range finder,
and a pattern recognition algorithm
designed to discern between people
and animals. Currently, the system is
designed to be operated under human