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IN PHOTO: Xing Yile (L), a 26-year-old middle school art teacher, works with his friend on their homemade replica of the "Hulkbuster" Iron Man armour from the movie "Avengers: Age of Ultron", at an underground parking lot in Zhengzhou, Henan province, China, May 12, 2015. The 3.4-metre-tall replica is made of over 100 fiber-reinforced plastic components. It took Xing and his friends two months to put them together after watching the trailer of the movie in March, local media reported. Picture taken May 12, 2015. REUTERS/Stringer

The US military is developing weapon systems with artificial intelligence that can track and kill a target without human intervention. In a scene right from the sci-fi movie, killer drones would be armed with mini-tanks and the latest weapon systems which makes them extremely lethal. Scientists have called for a ban on such killer robots as anyone with a threatening behaviour can be terminated.

The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, has commissioned a study to develop drones with artificial intelligence capable of tracking and killing targets even when they are out of contact with their human handlers. They are extremely lethal as they can kill anyone who may exhibit a threatening behaviour, reports The Telegraph.

The robots themselves are called lethal automated weapons systems or LAWS. They are armed and may become extremely lethal against the enemy. It would be a major blow to human rights when weapon systems make a decision to kill anybody. These weapons are armed and can take decision without any human intervention.

Stuart Russell, Professor of Computer Science at the University of California, wrote in the Journal Nature that these weapons go against the spirit of the Geneva convention, calling for the ban on such research. “Existing AI and robotics components can provide physical platforms, perception, motor control, navigation, mapping, tactical decision-making and long-term planning,” he wrote.

Many feel that it would be detrimental to disregard this growing threat which is against human dignity. Experts believe that debates at scientific meeting with ethics committees identifying the pros and cons of this proposal are very much necessary.

According to the journal, Dr Sabine Hauert, a lecturer in robotics at the University of Bristol, has dismissed such fears. She stated that the general public should not be threatened by artificial intelligence. These systems are used for undersea and space explorations.

But for some experts, the killer robots are just a step away and humans may not be able to defend themselves from sophisticated killer machines.

For questions/comments regarding the article, you may email the writer at honeygeorge74.ibtimes@gmail.com.

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