Lethality and Autonomous Robots: An Ethical Stance
Abstract
This paper addresses a difficult issue confronting the designers of intelligent robotic systems: their potential use of lethality in warfare. To fully understand the consequences of the deployment of autonomous machines capable of taking human life under military doctrine and tactics, a systematic ethical evaluation needs to be conducted to guide users (e.g., warfighters), system designers, policy makers, and commanders regarding the intended future use of this technology. This study needs to be conducted prior to the deployment of these systems, not as an afterthought. Toward that end, a 3-year research effort on this topic is being conducted at the Georgia Institute of Technology for the Army Research Office, of which the authors are currently in the first year. Two topics are being investigated: What is acceptable?, and What can be done? A survey is being conducted on the use of lethality by autonomous systems. The survey investigates the points of view of various demographic groups on this issue, including the public, robotics researchers, policy makers, and military personnel. The authors also are designing a computational implementation of an ethical code within an existing autonomous robotic system (i.e., an artificial conscience) that will be able to govern an autonomous system's behavior in a manner consistent with the rules and laws of war. This paper describes the survey's design and administration. The independent variables used for the survey are as follows: (1) community type; (2) level of authority; (3) demographic variables, such as age, gender, level of education, etc.; and (4) the extent of participants' knowledge of robots and their capabilities. In addition to finding out what the terms of acceptance are for using lethal robots in warfare, the authors would like to see if, and how, the level of acceptance varies among the different community types, according to certain demographics factors, and for the three levels of autonomy.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2007
- Accession Number
- ADA468122
Entities
People
- Lilia Moshkina
- Ronald C. Arkin
Organizations
- Georgia Tech