February 16, 200917 yr Killer robots need 'warrior code' AUTONOMOUS military robots that will fight future wars must be programmed to live by a strict "warrior code" or the world risks untold atrocities at their steely hands. The stark warning - which includes discussion of a Terminator-style scenario in which robots turn on their human masters - is issued in a hefty report funded by and prepared for the US Navy's high-tech and secretive Office of Naval Research. The report, the first serious work of its kind on military robot ethics, envisages a fast-approaching era where robots are smart enough to make battlefield decisions that are at present the preserve of humans. Eventually, it notes, robots could come to display significant cognitive advantages over Homo sapiens soldiers. "There is a common misconception that robots will do only what we have programmed them to do," Patrick Lin, the chief compiler of the report, said. "Unfortunately, such a belief is sorely outdated, harking back to a time when ... programs could be written and understood by a single person." The reality, Dr Lin said, was that modern programs included millions of lines of code and were written by teams of programmers, none of whom knew the entire program: accordingly, no individual could accurately predict how the various portions of large programs would interact without extensive testing in the field - an option that may either be unavailable or deliberately sidestepped by the designers of fighting robots. The solution, he suggests, is to mix rules-based programming with a period of "learning" the rights and wrongs of warfare. A rich variety of scenarios outlining the ethical, legal, social and political issues posed as robot technology improves are covered in the report. more....
February 16, 200917 yr I think now is an opportune moment for a quote from Bender the robot from Futurama: BENDER (dreaming): Kill all the humans, kill all the humans, must kill all the humans. FRY: Bender, wake up. BENDER: I was having the most wonderful dream. I think you were in it.
February 17, 200917 yr Robots gone wild, robots gone wild. An oft repeated theme. Battlestar Galactica, I Robot, Terminator. Blaagh. Whatever level of AI the Japanese can eventually give to these things, there will always be the on/off button. When a robot has such a level of self determination as to be able to disable the on/off button, there will be some other failsafe. When a robot has such a level of self determination as to be able to disable the on/off button and the failsafe, the signs will have already been foreseen. When a robot has ~ and the capacity to out-think the possibility of human foresight, humans will be obsolete. Blaagh.
February 17, 200917 yr Killer robots? Someone has been reading too many Dilbert cartoons. Still Steven Hawkins did remark something along the lines that we, the human race, in creating computer viri (plural?) have created a life form. The sad part of it is that it is a purely destructive life form thus it is in our own image. Who cops the blame if a bunch of killer robots commits an atrocity? The robots, the generals or the programmers?
February 17, 200917 yr Author Killer robots? Someone has been reading too many Dilbert cartoons.Still Steven Hawkins did remark something along the lines that we, the human race, in creating computer viri (plural?) have created a life form. The sad part of it is that it is a purely destructive life form thus it is in our own image. Who cops the blame if a bunch of killer robots commits an atrocity? The robots, the generals or the programmers? Same as happens these days, the lowest ranked possible culprit.
February 17, 200917 yr Sounds like something out of Get Smart: Max: If only that robot was used for good, and not evil...
February 17, 200917 yr As time will have no meaning to our electronic offspring, then they will reach out for the stars to expand and investigate. To go forth where no other robot has gone before
February 18, 200917 yr I suspect that they'll all be made by Toyota and Mitsubishi. I agree. If Ford made the robots they would always be in for service.
February 18, 200917 yr I suspect that they'll all be made by Toyota and Mitsubishi. I agree. If Ford made the robots they would always be in for service. Especially as they'll be running Windows 2019.
February 18, 200917 yr Author How would you like to trust the integrity of a platoon of military robots programed by that???!!!!
February 18, 200917 yr Windows 2019? Everything will be on Linux by then... probably including Robby.
February 18, 200917 yr Heaven forbid .... get them all on OSX, they'll be in jeans, t-shirts and flip flops, and way too stoned to worry about world domination.
February 19, 200917 yr That's a funny thing, that Windows Defender. Every few days, my computer automatically downloads Defender virus definition updates, but I have never actually seen the program kick into action (I assume that the warning is something like Cuban's graphic). AVG has spun into action on the odd occasion, but the only time I actually caught a virus in the past year, I had to download the Malwarebytes program to get rid of it. What is the point having Windows Defender if it doesn't actually do anything? If it worked, I wouldn't need AVG. If I've got AVG, I probably don't need Defender. What is it with people sitting around in darkly lit basements working on creating new viruses? The conspiracy theorists would have us believe that it's all organised by the virus software companies so that they can sell their products. So I suppose, by extension, they think that pharmaceutical companies are engaged in similar activities with respect to human viruses: 'Jones, how are you coming along with this season's flu virus - winter is nearly upon us?' (I suppose I should have put this in the pirate thread, me hearties!)
February 20, 200917 yr That's a funny thing, that Windows Defender. Every few days, my computer automatically downloads Defender virus definition updates, but I have never actually seen the program kick into action (I assume that the warning is something like Cuban's graphic). AVG has spun into action on the odd occasion, but the only time I actually caught a virus in the past year, I had to download the Malwarebytes program to get rid of it. What is the point having Windows Defender if it doesn't actually do anything? If it worked, I wouldn't need AVG. If I've got AVG, I probably don't need Defender. Ping, I reckon Defender does a damned good job. AVG. is my default virus checker in Defender, what are you using? Malware seems to be kept well at bay by Defender. When Defender is running on my PC using XP Pro, the Defender icon on the status bar activates. No idea when it runs on my Vista laptop, but it does do it, in the background. I also double up using Spy Doctor, never found anything. Dunno when last I had anything harmful on either m/c. For a double check, I run "House call" on a monthly basis, it never finds anything missed by AVG. Set up properly, Defender does an excellent job, never any pop-ups. (I suppose I should not have replied here either,,,,,,,,,hahaha Mite get strung up from the yardarm)
February 20, 200917 yr Author I've been using Malwarebytes for a while now and a month back it nailed some really nasty stuff and threw it out. One of the best free downloads I reckon.
February 20, 200917 yr Agreed - it gets rid of the really nasty stuff. Don't know why the mainstream virus software isn't as good in that respect.
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