How Much Human Oversight of Autonomous Weapons is Necessary?

“Long before James Cameron’s Terminator and Stanley Kubrick’s H.A.L. 9000, there was Prometheus…. The theme of playing God resulting in horrible unintended consequences runs through the Western canon, including the Golem of Jewish mythology…and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.” - Providence

Discussion

...and just war theory, really. If you're going to avoid killing noncombatants and waging war needlessly, you've got to have a kill switch for autonomous munitions.

But that said, probably the first thing we need is not that kill switch for munitions, but a recognition among politicians that certain acts do violate the rules of war. I cringe when I see politicians arguing that the victims of terrorist acts ought to negotiate with those attacking them without preconditions. No, the precondition ought to be that those who commanded and perpetrated those acts be separated from politics and military affairs for life.

Aspiring to be a stick in the mud.