The editors at NewScientist have picked a curious incident around which to enunciate some worries over the killer robots previously discussed in this thread, From their leader (16 January 2016, no paywall):
Called COTSbot, it is one of the world’s most advanced autonomous weapons systems, capable of selecting targets and using lethal force without any human involvement (see “Can this starfish-killing robot save the Great Barrier Reef?“).
A starfish-killing robot may not sound like an internationally significant development, but releasing it on to the reef would cross a Rubicon. COTSbot amply demonstrates that we now have the technology to build robots that can select their own targets and autonomously decide whether to kill them. The potential applications in human affairs – from warfare to law enforcement – are obvious.
As an event which can legitimately bring into focus the idea the issues of killer robots need to be confronted – yes. Unfortunately, the particulars of the situation do not lend themselves to a detailed analysis. The issues of killer robots are numerous, but one of the most salient is proper selection of target, or, on the flip side, the deaths of non-targets – i.e., people who are not fighting. It’s not likely that a COTSbot will run rampant in Sydney, and the natural setting is hardly a war zone. Given the breathlessness of other news outlets reporting on COTsbot, it’s not easy to suggest that COTSbot should be retired before it ever enters the fight against out of control starfish.
And that obvious argument makes it a little difficult to use this as a stepping stone to the real issues of killer robots. Will folks really take it seriously? A quick search of the web didn’t reveal anyone else expressing similar concerns. I worry, a little, that some potential participants, who perhaps are not employing their strongest cognitive resources, will look at this, transport these arguments into the actual killer robot discussion, as ill-fitting as they may be, and conclude there’s little to worry about.
So this might be a bit of the boy who shouted the wolf was eating the starfish – and everyone stared at the boy and wondered about his sanity.
