Vast technological advancements characterize the 21st century. Artificial intelligence is the best indicator of how technology is inevitable now and in the future. Machines have been tuned to learn from experience, adjust to new inputs, and perform human-like tasks ( Howard, 2014 ). Consequently, the application of artificial intelligence raises ethical issues, such as self-driving vehicles, social robots, and autonomous weapons. Of these ethical issues, I consider autonomous weapons as the most critical moral issue raised by the application of artificial intelligence ( Palmerini et al. 2016 ). This is because autonomous weapons have the ability and discretion to cause death without direct human control ( Palmerini et al. 2016 ). As a result, such machines may be used by people with evil motives to take away innocent lives and cause global insecurity issues.
It is understood that the application of autonomous weapons may benefit a section of some human beings while causing devastating harm to others ( Bostrom, 2003 ). For instance, the developed nations have the power to apply AI in the manufacture of complicated autonomous weapons. The presence of these autonomous weapons in the developed nations creates a sense of superiority in nations, such as the United States, China, and Russia. On the other hand, the underdeveloped or developing countries are kept under fear, hence feel inferior. As a result, autonomous weapons are used by developed nations to subdue the undeveloped countries and remain a superpower. Besides, the autonomous weapons may be used by terror groups; and the reputation is that it becomes difficult to eliminate insecurity issues in the world ( Bostrom, 2003 ). Also, politicians use autonomous weapons to assassinate their competitors and enable bad people to clinch to power. Consequently, autonomous weapons lead to poor leadership in the world.
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It is, therefore, necessary that policies should be put in place to mitigate the harm caused by the application of AI in the manufacture of autonomous weapons. On March 25, 2019, the UN chief insisted that “Autonomous machines with the power and discretion to select targets and take lives without human involvement are politically unacceptable, morally repugnant and should be prohibited by international law” ( Palmerini et al. 2016 ). In this regard, no armed force or nation has the moral right to possess fully autonomous weapons ( Palmerini et al. 2016 ). This is because these weapons may be misused to cause harm or even lead to the mass killing of innocent lives. Also, autonomous weapons have been often misused by politicians to assume power, hence leading to lousy leadership and subsequent decline in the economy. Therefore, policies should be put in place to regulate the development of autonomous weapons or even ban their manufacture completely.
The application of AI in the manufacture of robotic weapons raises various ethical questions. For instance, it is understood that a robot is a tool. In this regard, one may wonder whether robotic arms may cause harm without human influence. The answer is clear; for autonomous weapons to cause damage there must be human assistance somewhere ( Tegmark, n. d ) . On social grounds, the implications of the transformations concealed behind the neutral technological robot development must be investigated, placing the concepts of nature and human dignity as insurmountable limits (Palmerini et al. 2016). Moreover, the question regarding the merits and demerits attached to autonomous weapons does not require a robot science to answer. The disadvantages of autonomous weapons outweigh its advantages by far (Tegmark, n. d). Robotic weapons pose a grave threat to humanity and should be given a global ban.
Insofar I see AI impacting both my personal and professional life, both positively and negatively. One positive impact is that AI has led to the production of automated machines that make work easier. Computerization, for example, makes office duties more comfortable to perform and manage (Russell, Dewey & Tegmark, 2015). Automated machines also have eased and fastened transportation and communication systems leading to globalization and subsequently boosting the living standards. Automation of medication, for example, has increased the patient care system hence leading to a healthy nation. Unfortunately, automated machines lead to low demand for human labor, leading to increased unemployment rates (Bostrom, 2015). Besides, AI has led to the manufacture of lethal weapons, which lead to increased insecurity issues.
References
Bostrom, N. (2003). Ethical Issues in Advanced Artificial Intelligence.
Bostrom, N. (2015). What Happens When Our Computers Get Smarter Than We Are? [TED Talks].
Howard, J. (2014). The Wonderful and Terrifying Implications of Computers That Can Learn [TED Talks].
Palmerini, E., Azzarri, F., Battaglia, F., Bertolini, A., Carnevale, A., Carpaneto, J., Cavallo, F., Carlo, A.D., Cempini, M., Controzzi, M., Koops, B.J., Lucivero, F., Mukerji, N., Nocco, L., Pirni, A., Shah, H., Salvini, P., Schellekens, M., & Warwick, K. (2016). Robolaw: Guidelines on Regulating Robotics. Retrieved from: http://www.robolaw.eu/RoboLaw_files/documents/robolaw_d6.2_guidelinesregulatingrobotics_2
Russell, S., Dewey, D., & Tegmark, M. (2015). Research Priorities for Robust and Beneficial Artificial Intelligence: AI Magazine. 36(4): 105–114.
Tegmark, M. (n. d.). Benefits and Risks of Artificial Intelligence: Future of Life Institute.
