{"id":18900,"date":"2016-11-18T15:51:04","date_gmt":"2016-11-18T20:51:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digital.hbs.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/the-role-of-robots-in-warfare\/"},"modified":"2016-11-18T15:52:21","modified_gmt":"2016-11-18T20:52:21","slug":"the-role-of-robots-in-warfare","status":"publish","type":"hck-submission","link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-rctom\/submission\/the-role-of-robots-in-warfare\/","title":{"rendered":"The Role of Robots in Warfare"},"content":{"rendered":"

With 1.3 million active personnel, 800,000 reserve personnel, and a budget of $597 billion dollars (3.3% of GDP)[1], the US military delivers the value of protecting the security of the United States.\u00a0 Historically, this task has been accomplished with \u201ctroops on the ground,\u201d but as technology improves, robots have begun taking the place of soldiers. Though this transformation has many benefits, there are significant ethical and technological issues to consider.<\/p>\n

The operating model of the U.S. Military has evolved over time. In addition to protecting the U.S., the military has been increasingly involved in global security issues (the U.S. military currently has operations in Yemen, Uganda, Iraq, Syria, and Cameroon). Operationally, the U.S. Military is an impressive machine. The organization processes incredible amounts of data to make decisions and is able to effectively manage nearly 2 million people in a highly hierarchical structure.<\/p>\n

\"Navy\u2019s<\/a>
The Navy\u2019s Phalanax Close-In Weapons System<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ground and aerial robots were first used during war in 2002 in Afghanistan and their use in the U.S. military has since increased dramatically. In 2000, the U.S. military had fewer than 50 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), by 2010 they had more than 7000.[2]\u00a0Most military robots are piloted remotely and are therefore \u201csemi-autonomous\u201d but technology is trending towards fully autonomous vehicles.\u00a0 In 2014, PackBots (the most common military robot) were given some autonomous functionality enabling them to travel to pre-determined waypoints. The Navy\u2019s Phalanax Close-In Weapons System is fully autonomous and is enabled to shoot down anti-ship missiles in a last-resort situation.[3]\u00a0Piloted robots save lives on the battlefield and are useful in many situations including bomb disposal and building searches. However, as we begin to consider autonomous robots that think for themselves without human intervention, the value proposition gets more complicated.<\/p>\n

\"iRobot<\/a>
iRobot SUGV PackBot<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Autonomous robots have been described as the \u201cthird revolution in warfare after gunpowder and nuclear arms.\u201d[4]\u00a0Unlike nuclear, robots are cheap to build and do not require hard-to-obtain materials \u2013 many experts believe the development of autonomous weapons will trigger an arms race.\u00a0 Robots would have to be programmed to make decisions in complex wartime situations and to assess extremely complicated situations (Ex: Is the individual running away from me a civilian or a combatant?). Robotic behavior would never be 100% predictable due to the wide variety and uncertainty of inputs contributing to autonomous decision making.[2] \u00a0Autonomous weapons lower the threshold of going to battle due to the decrease in loss of life. Furthermore, they remove the human element and disconnect us from the reality of war.<\/p>\n

There are arguments to be made in favor of autonomous weapons. Robots do not have emotions influencing decisions. Autonomous weapons may eliminate instances of war crimes. One particularly intriguing example of autonomous robots is the Battlefield Extraction-Assist Robot (BEAR) that was being developed to recognize injured soldiers and transport them away from the battlefield.[5]<\/p>\n

The value of human lives is difficult to balance against the potential negatives of fully autonomous robotics. There are several steps that could be taken to protect against potential negative outcomes.<\/p>\n