Stories From The Backchannel: How should the world prepare for a future with autonomous weapons?

While nobody is worried about being a slave to a robot overlord just yet, advances in artificial intelligence are increasingly taking weapons closer to the line of making life and death decisions.

This has huge implications both for our military and the safety and security of people across the globe. Despite the enormity of the issue, it’s only just starting to be discussed in public.  

One person who has taken a deep look into autonomous weapons is Paul Scharre, a Senior Fellow and Director of the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security. He’s also a former Army Ranger.

Paul’s book “Army of None: Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War” is a both fascinating and scary.

In this episode, Scharre talks with host Ilan Goldenberg about how far weapons have evolved and how the world reconciles the moral implications of these advancements.