New drone has no pilot anywhere, so who's accountable? (SkyNet?)

LA Times ^ | January 26, 2012 | W.J. Hennigan

[Second Amendment First]

The Navy's new drone being tested near Chesapeake Bay stretches the boundaries of technology: It's designed to land on the deck of an aircraft carrier, one of aviation's most difficult maneuvers.

What's even more remarkable is that it will do that not only without a pilot in the cockpit, but without a pilot at all.

The X-47B marks a paradigm shift in warfare, one that is likely to have far-reaching consequences. With the drone's ability to be flown autonomously by onboard computers, it could usher in an era when death and destruction can be dealt by machines operating semi-independently.

Although humans would program an autonomous drone's flight plan and could override its decisions, the prospect of heavily armed aircraft screaming through the skies without direct human control is unnerving to many.

"Lethal actions should have a clear chain of accountability," said Noel Sharkey, a computer scientist and robotics expert. "This is difficult with a robot weapon. The robot cannot be held accountable. So is it the commander who used it? The politician who authorized it? The military's acquisition process? The manufacturer, for faulty equipment?"

Sharkey and others believe that autonomous armed robots should force the kind of dialogue that followed the introduction of mustard gas in World War I and the development of atomic weapons in World War II. The International Committee of the Red Cross, the group tasked by the Geneva Conventions to protect victims in armed conflict, is already examining the issue.

"The deployment of such systems would reflect … a major qualitative change in the conduct of hostilities," committee President Jakob Kellenberger said at a recent conference. "The capacity to discriminate, as required by [international humanitarian law], will depend entirely on the quality and variety of sensors and programming employed within the system."

[Hot Tabasco]

An RC hobbyist’s dream come true.......

[Second Amendment First]

Area 51

[cuban leaf]

Who took that picture? I need to report them. ;-)

[PIF]

And they make great gifts to Iran!!

[Second Amendment First]

Only if they have pictures of the backs of the signs!

[varyouga]

If the machines decide to take over, they'll only do so when they know they can and they'll be sure to keep all communications secret from us.

I think we are only decades away from mapping brain architecture. Transistors will get small enough to model this architecture in a small package. We have already reached the quantum limit for storing a bit of data - only 12 atoms. It is only a matter of time until transistors find their limit.

If this path of discovery continues, I think people will someday see machines more intelligent than humans. The only question is whether evil traits like violence, greed, etc are inherent in intelligent life.

[stuartcr]

The skipper is accountable.

[NonValueAdded]

Who is building it, Luckup? "Just a little touch-up ..." :)

[Smokin' Joe]

An accident waiting to happen. Either to strike fear into Americans when it goes haywire domestically, or as an excuse to further de-ball America when it goes haywire overseas. The UN idiots will have a field day.

Hack them and reprogram them, and an enemy could be twisting ourshort hairs...if some twit doesn't just sell them the access codes.

[taildragger]

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) like X-47B are not the self-aware Terminators of Ahnold’s fantasy movies. All UAVs have ground-based system operators whose responsibility is to monitor the UAV’s actions as the mission progresses. They do this using redundant command and control data links. If one link fails, the redundant link allows positive control of the UAV. If you have a kid who played StarCraft video game, the control of the UAV is a lot like that. Should all data link communications be lost, the UAV ie pre-programmed to go to a safe location and flies in a circle while attempting to re-establish communications. If this fails, the UAV flys home and enters a holding pattern at it’s home airfield until given permission to land using a 3rd set of command and control data links. X-47B is not armed, but UAVs which are all require consent to employ weapons from their ground-based operator. The UAV is not programmed or permitted to use weapons without human consent. This method of controlling UAVs is not new. It is derived from the methodology for controlling satellites and has been practiced for decades.

Given the flight test videos show the trailer they “fly” it from, the procedures and protocol you mention sound spot on. If so these folks are a bunch of Commies trying to start trouble and want Northrup to "Explain" themselves and leak some information.

IMHO they are on a fishing expedition and it's politically incorrect but NG should tell them to pound sand...

[GonzoGOP]

Now if your computer says THAT to you, it’s time to head for the hills.

MX Knows Best by Gordon R. Dickson was much more frightening. In that case the computer didn't say anything. It just gave advice that was correct 99.999% of the time. Because humans don't get it right that often they just gave up their freedom and everyone just asked MX about every detail of their lives.

A self aware computer deciding to become god isn't very likely. Computers don't have ambition. But an expert system that allows people to be lazy and avoid tough personal choices, oh heck yes that could happen. Look how easy it is to sell socialism.

[lonerepubinma]

Now if your computer says THAT to you, it’s time to head for the hills.

Sounds like Obamabot every time he opens his mouth.

[Vroomfondel]

SONOBUOY PING!

Click on pic for past Navair pings.

Post or FReepmail me if you wish to be enlisted in or discharged from the Navair Pinglist.
The only requirement for inclusion in the Navair Pinglist is an interest in Naval Aviation.
This is a medium to low volume pinglist.

[Tallguy]

How, I wonder, do you pre-program the ROE’s for the mission? What if they change? Seems to me that an X-47B might be a very blunt instrument and therefore unlikely to be used except in extreme circumstances.

[PapaBear3625]

We've had autonomous delivery of explosive packages ever since we've had long-range missiles.

This is just a cruise missile that returns to base after dropping its warhead.

[Little Ray]

Its pretty obvious to those of us not interested in legal drama.

The “responsibility trail” is the same as for launching a guided missile, probably most similar to a that of a cruise missile. The only difference is that the X-47B is supposed to return.

[ken5050]

THis theme was explored in sciience fiction decades ago, first in 1920 in Capek's RUR, then again in 1940....Most here are familar with one of the all time great Sc-fi classics "The Day The Earth Stood Still"..the original version, with Michael Rennie, not the awful remake with Keanu Reeves.

What most don't know is that the film is based on a superb short sci-fi novel by Harry Bates, "Farewell to the Master" which many feel is one of the all time classics of the genre.

SPOILER ALERT: The novel is avaiable free online..just Google the title..and definitely worth reading..so if you plan to read it, then ignore the rest of this post...

The film is 100% faithful to the novel, EXCEPT for the very last page. As the robot, Gort, is handed the wounded alien, the American officer asks the robot to tell his master that not all earth people, and not to destroy the planet.

In the movie, they board the flying saucer, and it takes off. The novel ends as the robot responds.."You do not understand. I am the master!"

When the film was made, in 1951, the stiudio felt that most Americans would be incomfortable with the idea that robots could have intelligence, and could rule humans.

[UCANSEE2]

[bigbob]

Perfect for Obama: He can shoot badguys and claim he’s a big warrior to the right and then turn to the left and say hey, I had no control over that!

Next best thing to voting “present”...

[Carry_Okie]

A robot will not refuse an unlawful or mistaken order.