Killer Robots

Killer robots. That’s what some are calling a class of weapons that do not yet exist, but could one day soon. Formally known as lethal autonomous weapons, they would have the ability to choose and destroy targets on their own, with no human involvement. They could absorb data and take action at lightning speeds. Some argue that these weapons could target more precisely, and preserve the lives of human soldiers. But how will they distinguish friend from foe? And what if these powerful weapons fall in the wrong hands? Are lethal autonomous weapons the key to more humane warfare, or should they be banned before it’s too late? Our guests: Mary Wareham, global coordinator of the ‘Campaign to Stop Killer Robots’ at Human Rights Watch; Major General Charles Dunlap, Jr., former deputy judge advocate general of the United States Air Force and Executive Director of the Center on Law, Ethics and National Security at Duke University; Paul Scharre, senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security.