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Genius Weapons: Artificial Intelligence, Autonomous Weaponry, and the Future of Warfare
A technology expert describes the ever-increasing role of artificial intelligence in weapons development, the ethical dilemmas these weapons pose, and the potential threat to humanity.
Artificial intelligence is playing an ever-increasing role in military weapon systems. Going beyond the bomb-carrying drones used in the Afghan war, the Pentagon is now in a race with China and Russia to develop "lethal autonomous weapon systems" (LAWS). In this eye-opening overview, a physicist, technology expert, and former Honeywell executive examines the advantages and the potential threats to humanity resulting from the deployment of completely autonomous weapon systems. Stressing the likelihood that these weapons will be available in the coming decades, the author raises key questions about how the world will be impacted.
Though using robotic systems might lessen military casualties in a conflict, one major concern is: Should we allow machines to make life-and-death decisions in battle? Other areas of concern include the following: Who would be accountable for the actions of completely autonomous weapons--the programmer, the machine itself, or the country that deploys LAWS? When warfare becomes just a matter of technology, will war become more probable, edging humanity closer to annihilation? What if AI technology reaches a "singularity level" so that our weapons are controlled by an intelligence exceeding human intelligence?
Using vivid scenarios that immerse the reader in the ethical dilemmas and existential threats posed by lethal autonomous weapon systems, the book reveals that the dystopian visions of such movies as The Terminator and I, Robot may become a frightening reality in the near future. The author concludes with concrete recommendations, founded in historical precedent, to control this new arms race.
Artificial intelligence is playing an ever-increasing role in military weapon systems. Going beyond the bomb-carrying drones used in the Afghan war, the Pentagon is now in a race with China and Russia to develop "lethal autonomous weapon systems" (LAWS). In this eye-opening overview, a physicist, technology expert, and former Honeywell executive examines the advantages and the potential threats to humanity resulting from the deployment of completely autonomous weapon systems. Stressing the likelihood that these weapons will be available in the coming decades, the author raises key questions about how the world will be impacted.
Though using robotic systems might lessen military casualties in a conflict, one major concern is: Should we allow machines to make life-and-death decisions in battle? Other areas of concern include the following: Who would be accountable for the actions of completely autonomous weapons--the programmer, the machine itself, or the country that deploys LAWS? When warfare becomes just a matter of technology, will war become more probable, edging humanity closer to annihilation? What if AI technology reaches a "singularity level" so that our weapons are controlled by an intelligence exceeding human intelligence?
Using vivid scenarios that immerse the reader in the ethical dilemmas and existential threats posed by lethal autonomous weapon systems, the book reveals that the dystopian visions of such movies as The Terminator and I, Robot may become a frightening reality in the near future. The author concludes with concrete recommendations, founded in historical precedent, to control this new arms race.
320 pages, Paperback
Published November 6, 2018
19 people are currently reading
104 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 31, 2019
I got about halfway and had to stop.
First, book is poorly edited. Sentences and paragraphs repeat on consecutive pages.
Second, the sources should be better. An article in The Guardian may well be correct with respect to AI or ML, but refereed journal articles are better. A book should be based on more than Google searches.
Third, the author is not, AFAICT, an AI expert. This comes through as a lack of understanding of how some of these systems work, such as image recognition. His background is in engineering systems. On that ground, he is more comfortable and authoritative. A book co-authored between an AI expert, a weapons expert, and a former US armed forces commander (does such a book exist? I'd like to read it), for example, would cover the necessary experience required to make predictions. Here, it's mostly speculation, and the author annoyingly tells the reader to "make their own choices." I'm reading this because I'm NOT a weapons expert, thankyouverymuch.
Overall, worth skimming, but not a book I'd recommend in this increasingly crowded field.
First, book is poorly edited. Sentences and paragraphs repeat on consecutive pages.
Second, the sources should be better. An article in The Guardian may well be correct with respect to AI or ML, but refereed journal articles are better. A book should be based on more than Google searches.
Third, the author is not, AFAICT, an AI expert. This comes through as a lack of understanding of how some of these systems work, such as image recognition. His background is in engineering systems. On that ground, he is more comfortable and authoritative. A book co-authored between an AI expert, a weapons expert, and a former US armed forces commander (does such a book exist? I'd like to read it), for example, would cover the necessary experience required to make predictions. Here, it's mostly speculation, and the author annoyingly tells the reader to "make their own choices." I'm reading this because I'm NOT a weapons expert, thankyouverymuch.
Overall, worth skimming, but not a book I'd recommend in this increasingly crowded field.
January 14, 2025
Z knihy jsem přečetla 2/3 - má tři části, takže dvě části a kus - pak jsem si uvědomila, že se autor už po několikáté opakuje. Málo fakt, velká spousta domněnek, neustálé omílání pořád dokola.
Co se týká zbraní, pro čtenáře je důležité jejich rozdělení na "člověk ve smyčce", "člověk na smyčce" a plně autonomní zbraně, a pak možnosti kontroly AI, a to před a po singularitě. První téma (zbraně) je celkem dobře vysvětleno. Druhé (AI) provází velká řada domněnek ve stylu "předpokládám" a "mohlo by" a "je velmi pravděpodobné" atd., přičemž sám autor přiznává, že úvahy vedené podobným stylem - tzn. na základě momentálního vývoje - v druhé půlce minulého století se nakonec hrubě nevyplnily. Takže všecky jeho závěry je třeba brát s rezervou.
Navíc, kniha byla napsána v roce 2017, takže v roce 2025 je už dost zastaralá, část o existujících zbraních ale může fungovat jako určitá momentka z doby vzniku.
Co se týká zbraní, pro čtenáře je důležité jejich rozdělení na "člověk ve smyčce", "člověk na smyčce" a plně autonomní zbraně, a pak možnosti kontroly AI, a to před a po singularitě. První téma (zbraně) je celkem dobře vysvětleno. Druhé (AI) provází velká řada domněnek ve stylu "předpokládám" a "mohlo by" a "je velmi pravděpodobné" atd., přičemž sám autor přiznává, že úvahy vedené podobným stylem - tzn. na základě momentálního vývoje - v druhé půlce minulého století se nakonec hrubě nevyplnily. Takže všecky jeho závěry je třeba brát s rezervou.
Navíc, kniha byla napsána v roce 2017, takže v roce 2025 je už dost zastaralá, část o existujících zbraních ale může fungovat jako určitá momentka z doby vzniku.
April 30, 2019
Interesting and sometimes frightening look at the future of warfare
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews