Guidelines for autonomous killbots proposed
By Darren Murph 
posted April 14th 2007 12:08PM
posted April 14th 2007 12:08PM
Suggestions in regard to robotic rights seem to be flying off the shelves these days, but an engineer at the Naval Surface Warfare Centre has concocted an interesting set of guidelines catering to autonomous killbots of the future. Most likely, it's just a matter of time before machine-on-machine violence becomes commonplace, and John Canning's "Concept of Operations for Armed Autonomous Systems" outlines just how lethal robots should handle themselves when faced with potentially deadly conflicts. Interestingly, the document suggests the the bots should be allowed to make their own decisions when it comes to blasting or forgiving fellow robots, but before they pull the trigger on a human, it should request guidance from a flesh 'n blood friendly. Still, a definite loophole exists in the fact that these simple-minded killers could aim for a "human's weapon" without asking permission, and when his awful auto-aim programming leads to a costly casualty, it'll simply be deemed "collateral damage." Can't say we like the sound of that. [Warning: PDF read link][Via El Reg]
Or... they could pull a Terminator and end up shooting everyone in the knees.
"Human Casualties: 0.0"
Hmm... or we could just defer to Asimov's three laws of robotics.
Because that worked so well the first time...
The whole point Asimov was trying to make is that you CAN'T put laws in place because there will always be:
a) a way around them
or
b) a need to bypass them
I was joking :P
or what if that robot hacks itself?
Is that a Cyborg action figure?
Skynet here we come!
Just program them with a preset killing limit. Then all you have to do is send wave after wave of your own men up against them. Eventually they'll stop.
I think that is only acceptable in defense of Brannigan's Law.